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Wonders - Grade 3

McGraw-Hill Education | Third Grade

Alignment: Overall Summary

The materials for Grade 3 meet the expectations of alignment. The materials include high quality texts and tasks that support students' development of literacy skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language. The materials are organized to build knowledge of topics and provide opportunities for students to demonstrate integrated skills. While may implementation supports are available, the teacher may need to do extra work to assure lessons are implemented with fidelity.

The Report

Gateway One

Text Quality & Complexity and Alignment to Standards Components

Meets Expectations

Wonders 2020 for Grade 3 utilizes high-quality texts including a variety of text types and genres. Text are placed at the appropriate level of complexity for the grade and are accompanied by detailed text complexity analysis information.

The texts support students’ evolving literacy skills with texts that grow in complexity and engage students in a range of reading opportunities.

Materials include questions and tasks that build toward culminating tasks that allow students to demonstrate newly-obtained knowledge and skills through writing and/or speaking activities. Students are supported in evidence-based discussion of texts including expectations for the use of grade-level vocabulary/syntax and appropriate questioning.

Students engage in evidence-based, standards-aligned writing tasks, including both on-demand and process writing. Explicit grammar and conventions instruction is provided with opportunities for students to practice and apply these skills within their writing tasks.

Materials provide questions and connected tasks that include explicit instruction in and practice of phonics, word recognition, and word analysis skills based on a research-based progression. Students also receive consistent instruction and practice to achieve fluency in oral and silent reading.

Criterion 1a - 1f

Texts are worthy of students' time and attention: texts are of quality and are rigorous, meeting the text complexity criteria for each grade. Materials support students' advancing toward independent reading.

Wonders 2020 for Grade 3 includes high-quality anchor texts that encompass a broad array of text types and genres. Texts are placed at the appropriate level of complexity for the grade and are accompanied by a text complexity analysis that describes the quantitative score and qualitative features as well as the reason for the placement of the texts in the unit.

The texts support students’ evolving literacy skills with texts that grow in complexity over the course of the year and engage students in a broad range of reading opportunities to provide both depth and volume of reading practice to achieve grade-level reading proficiency.

Indicator 1a

Anchor texts are of publishable quality and worthy of especially careful reading and consider a range of student interests.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for anchor texts being of publishable quality and worthy of especially careful reading and consider a range of student interests.

The anchor texts are of high interest and include rich language and content from across multiple disciplines and cultures. Accompanying illustrations are of high quality and support student understanding and comprehension of the associated text. Examples of high-quality texts include, but are not limited to:

Unit 1: Yoon and the Jade Bracelet by Helen Recorvits. This folktale details Yoon’s move to the United State from Korea and her attendance at a new school. This book is a 2009 Bank Street- Best Children's Book of the Year.

Unit 2: Vote! by Eileen Christelow. This expository text gives information through text and a graphic narrative, including cartoon panels and illustrations. The speech bubbles provide a framework for conversations/dialogue and questions being asked and answered about a thought-provoking process in America’s democracy. The characters include two dogs and a cat whose questions and comments may mirror those of young readers and help to explain some of an election’s aspects.

Unit 4: The Talented Clementine and Clementine and the Family Meeting by Sara Pennypacker. These texts are excerpts of a novel that is part of a published series of novels. The first text features the relatable topic of being a third grader during a talent show. Students can see themselves in Clementine’s impulsiveness and lack of confidence, but also in her take-charge attitude. The additional excerpt is provided for students to compare and contrast texts by the same author.

Unit 5: Clever Jack Takes the Cake by Candace Fleming. This book is a modern, humorous fairy tale starring a determined boy and a story-loving princess with a good sense of humor. Jack’s adventures with trolls, bears, gypsies, and the princess’s birthday party provide engaging content, as well as lessons about resourcefulness and determination. In 2010 this book was named Best Book of the Year by Booklist, School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, and the Bank Street College of Education.

Unit 6: Ollie’s Escape (Author Unknown). Humorous poems detail the story of a snake that escapes from its pen at school and frightens the teachers and the principal. The setting and character’s actions make this engaging and relatable to young readers. Within this poem, the author uses rhyme and idioms to help the young reader visualize the characters’ actions, including Principal Poole who is afraid of the snake.

Indicator 1b

Materials reflect the distribution of text types and genres required by the standards at each grade level.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials reflect the distribution of text types and genres required by the standards at each grade level.

There is a wide array of informational and literary text integrated throughout every unit with a balanced representation of each. Additional supplementary texts (text sets, shared reading, read-alouds) are included, resulting in a wide distribution of genres and text types as required by the standards, including historical fiction, poetry, fables, non-fiction, biographies, digital magazine articles, plays, and historical accounts.

The following are examples of literary text found within the instructional materials:

In Unit 1, Week 1, Day 3, Gary the Dreamer by Gary Soto

In Unit 2, Week 5, Day 1, Empanada Day by George Santiago

In Unit 3, Week 2, Day 3, Why the Sun is Red (Author Unknown)

In Unit 4, Week 4, Little Half Chick (Author Unknown)

In Unit 6, Week 3, Day 3, King Midas and the Golden Touch by Margaret H. Lippert

The following are examples of informational text found within the instructional materials:

In Unit 1, Week 3, Protecting Our Parks by Time for Kids

In Unit 2, Week 1, Day 4, Vote! by Ellen Christelow

In Unit 3, Week 1, Day 3, Earth by Jeffrey Zuehike

In Unit 4, Week 3, Amazing Wildlife of the Mojave by Laurence Pringle

In Unit 5, Week 2, Day 3, Elizabeth Leads the Way by Tanya Lee Stone

In Unit 6, Week 1, Day 3, Looking Up to Ellen Ochoa by Liane B. Onish

Indicator 1c

Texts have the appropriate level of complexity for the grade according to quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis, and relationship to their associated student task.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for texts have the appropriate level of complexity for the grade according to quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis, and relationship to their associated student task.

Texts have the appropriate level of complexity for the grade according to quantitative and qualitative analysis and relationship to their associated student task. Anchor texts are placed at the appropriate grade level. Examples include, but are not limited to:

In Unit 1, Gary the Dreamer Author by Gary Soto. This text has a quantitative measure of 500 Lexile. This is within the stretch band of 420-820 Lexile for Grade 3. Students use the text to practice sequencing and to support their writing of their own personal narrative.

In Unit 2, Week 3-4, The Castle on Hester Street by Linda Heller. This text has a quantitative measure of 730 Lexile. This is within the stretch band of 420-820 Lexile for Grade 3. Specific vocabulary, such as immigrants, Ellis Island, and America, was defined throughout.

In Unit 5, “Jimmy Carter: A Good Citizen”, (author unknown). This text has a quantitative measure of 780 Lexile. This is within the stretch band of 420-820 Lexile for Grade 3. The text is read aloud to students. Qualitatively, the meaning/purpose, structure and knowledge demands are only slightly complex. Students will not need much background information to understand the biography.

In Unit 6, Reach for the Stars by Dominic Ashton. This text has a quantitative measure of 750 Lexile. This is within the stretch band of 420-820 Lexile for Grade 3. This text includes several vocabulary words (e.g., microgravity and physics) but uses a glossary to define the words, and students can also determine their meanings from the context clues. The text also has separate features, such as “Pilots or Scientists?” to help students define the role of an astronaut.

Indicator 1d

Materials support students' increasing literacy skills over the course of the school year. (Series of texts should be at a variety of complexity levels appropriate for the grade band.)

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials supporting students’ increasing literacy skills over the course of the school year. (Series of texts should be at a variety of complexity levels appropriate for the grade band.)

The texts, both anchor and supporting, mostly fall within the grade-level band, ranging from 420 - 820, and provide students access to increasingly rigorous texts over the course of the school year. Texts are appropriately scaffolded over the course of the year to support students as they grow their literacy skills.

The Genre Study within each unit begins with an Interactive Read Aloud which introduces the genre and reading strategy that is the focus of the Genre Study. Students then engage in the Shared Read followed by the Anchor Text which is paired with an additional text selection in order for students to compare and contrast texts. While reading, scaffolds include rereading to find evidence, note-taking in a graphic organizer, and collaborative conversations among students about the text.

In Unit 1, Genre Study 1, students engage in a genre study of narrative nonfiction. Texts that support students increasing literacy skills include:

In Week 1, Day 1, the Interactive Read-Aloud is “Faith Ringgold: Telling Stories Through Art” (unknown author), which has a Lexile of 770L and is considered slightly to moderately complex. Though the complexity level is on the higher end of the Grade 3 band, the text is read by the teacher and includes think-alouds to help students access this complex text.

In Week 1, Days 1 and 2, the Shared Read is “Room to Grow” (unknown author), which has a Lexile of 490 and is mostly considered slightly complex. The text provides teachers with an opportunity to have students analyze a narrative nonfiction text employing a sequence text structure.

In Weeks 1 and 2, Days 3-6, students engage with the Anchor Text, Gary the Dreamer by Gary Soto, which has a Lexile of 550, but is qualitatively slightly complex with knowledge demands, moderately complex with meaning and structure, and somewhat complex with language. Students apply the skills they practiced during the Shared Read. This text is a model of narrative nonfiction text employing a sequence text structure. Students can access it due to the guided practice during the Shared Read.

In Week 2, Day 8, students compare and contrast the Paired Text: “Sharing Cultures” (unknown author) which has a Lexile of 610, with Gary the Dreamer, the Anchor Text.

In Unit 3, Genre Study 1, students engage in a genre study of expository informational texts. Students engage in summarizing texts and learn more about the main idea and details as well as the author’s word choice. This includes:

In Week 1, Day 1, the Interactive Read Aloud is “Our Home in the Solar System” (unknown author), which has a Lexile of 670 and is considered slightly to moderately complex. The text is read by the teacher and includes think-alouds to assist students in applying the reading strategy.

In Week 1, Days 1-2, the Shared Read is “Earth and Its Neighbors“ (unknown author) and has a Lexile of 660 and is slightly to moderately complex. Students work with graphic elements in the text to better understand the content.

In Weeks 1 and 2, Days 3-6: students engage with the Anchor Text, Earth by Jeffery Zuehike, which is slightly to moderately complex and has a Lexile of 630. Students add to their knowledge of the structure of expository text, including text features such as diagrams and photographs with captions.

In Week 2, students compare and contrast the Paired Text: “Why the Sun is Red” with the Anchor Text, Earth.

In Unit 6, Genre Study 1, students engage in a genre study of biography and practice rereading for deeper understanding, and to explore a problem/solution structure and how imagery changes the reader’s experience with a text. Examples include:

In Week 1, Day 1, the Interactive Read Aloud is Mae Jamison, Astronaut (unknown author), which has a Lexile of 750 and is considered slightly to moderately complex. The text is read by the teacher and includes think-alouds to assist students to see how to apply the strategy.

In Week 1, Days 1-2, the Shared Read, “Rocketing into Space”, has a Lexile of 790 and is considered slightly to moderately complex. The teacher uses the story to help students understand the structure of a biography.

In Weeks 1 and 2, Days 3-6, the Anchor Text, Looking Up to Ellen Ochoa by Liane B. Onish, has a Lexile of 740 and is slightly to moderately complex. The teacher uses the story to help students understand the structure of a biography and use the strategy of summarizing to understand the content.

In Week 2, Day 8, students read the Paired Text “A Flight to Lunar City”, take notes, and think about how this text compares with Looking Up to Ellen Ochoa.

Indicator 1e

Anchor texts and series of texts connected to them are accompanied by a text complexity analysis and rationale for purpose and placement in the grade level.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that anchor texts and series of texts connected to them are accompanied by a text complexity analysis and rationale for purpose and placement in the grade level.

Grade 3 materials contain a text complexity analysis that includes a quantitative measure, a qualitative measure, and a rationale for including the text. The text complexity analysis is accessible through the Teacher Resources tab online and in the Teacher Edition in the Genre Study Overview, as well as through the Access Complex Text (ACT) sections.

Anchor texts and series of texts connected to them are accompanied by a text complexity analysis. A rationale for educational purpose and placement in the grade level is provided and includes correct information about the complexity. Examples include, but are not limited to:

In Unit 1, Weeks 1 and 2, students read Gary the Dreamer by Gary Soto, which has a quantitative measure of 500L. Qualitative measures of complexity provided by the publisherinclude moderately complex structure and meaning/purpose and slightly complex language and knowledge demands. The rationale given by the publisher for this text is, “Gary Soto has created a rich, evocative text that teachers can employ for many different tasks. It is an excellent model of narrative nonfiction text employing a sequence text structure. The text also allows students to encounter sensory language and figurative language.”

In Unit 2, Weeks 1 and 2, students read Vote! by Ellen Castelow, which has a quantitative measure of 530L. The meaning, structure, language, and knowledge demands are all considered moderately complex. The topic may be unfamiliar to students, which makes it a more complex text. The publisher states that this text is included because it gives information through the text and through a graphic narrative.

In Unit 3, Weeks 1 and 2, the text “Earth and its Neighbors” (unknown author) has a quantitative measure of 660L. Meaning and structure are considered slightly complex, while language and knowledge demands are described as moderately complex. The text was selected to help students identify the purpose of a text by looking at key details in the text. The Text Complexity Analysis document provides a list of the domain-specific vocabulary present in the text, as well as instruction in helping students pay careful attention to the many photographs, diagrams, and captions which provide additional information.

In Unit 4, Weeks 3 and 4, students read "Grey Wolf! Red Fox!" by Laurence Pringle, which has a quantitative measure of 750L. Qualitative measures of complexity provided by the publisher include, “The main idea is clear and stated near the beginning, causing this to be classified as slightly complex, and contains subject-specific terminology (e.g., coats, packs) that causes it to be classified as moderately complex in vocabulary and knowledge." Teachers are encouraged to use this piece to help students compare and contrast expository texts and to develop their map-reading skills.

In Unit 5, Weeks 1 and 2, students read Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote by Tanya Lee Stone, which has a quantitative measure of 700L. Qualitative measures of complexity provided by the publisher include that the text is moderately complex in structure, meaning/purpose, and language and slightly complex in knowledge demands. The rationale given by the publisher for this text is, “The selection provides many opportunities to connect with other texts on many topics, such as good citizenship, changing laws, civil rights, and personal courage. Teachers can also use the narrative to help students understand the structure of biographies, and practice reading illustrations. This selection will help students build knowledge about U.S. history and the topic of good citizenship.”

In Unit 6, Weeks 3 and 4, students read Pandora Finds a Box (unknown author), which has a quantitative measure of 660L. Qualitative measures of complexity provided by the publisher state that the structure is moderately complex because of the point of view of the story. The meaning, language, and knowledge demands are all rated as slightly or somewhat complex due to this story being a myth, as well as having unfamiliar vocabulary (e.g., burden, scroll). The purpose of this piece is to identify the structure of a myth, as well as to make predictions.

Indicator 1f

Anchor text(s), including support materials, provide opportunities for students to engage in a range and volume of reading to achieve grade level reading.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that anchor and supporting texts provide opportunities for students to engage in a broad range of text types and disciplines as well as a volume of reading to achieve grade-level reading proficiency.

Grade 3 materials provide students multiple opportunities to engage in a variety of texts in order to reach grade-level reading proficiency by the end of the year. Each unit contains three genre studies. Within each Genre Study, students engage with a variety of texts to deepen their knowledge of the genre, beginning with an Interactive Read- Aloud and continuing with the Shared Read and Anchor Text. Each Genre Study includes a Paired Selection that offers the opportunity for students to make cross-text comparisons. The selection may be a different genre from the Anchor Text but relates to the Essential Question. In addition, Leveled Text (Approaching, On, Beyond, ELL) provide students texts that support the Essential Question, while providing scaffolds for independent reading opportunities. Classroom Library book titles are included for additional independent reading options within each unit and genre.

Instructional materials identify opportunities and supports for students to engage in reading and listening to a variety of texts to become independent readers at the grade level and engage in a volume of reading as they grow toward reading independence. Examples include, but are not limited to:

Criterion 1g - 1n

Wonders 2020 for Grade 3 includes text-dependent/specific questions and tasks that build toward integrated, culminating tasks that allow students to demonstrate the knowledge and skills gained through instruction through writing and/or speaking activities. Students are supported in evidence-based discussion of texts through the implementation of protocols to scaffold conversations as students’ oral language skills grow in sophistication. Use of grade-level vocabulary/syntax and appropriate questioning are encouraged during student discussions.

Students engage in a mix of evidence-based writing tasks, including both on-demand and process writing, that incorporate the writing types called for in the standards. Explicit grammar and conventions instruction is provided with opportunities for students to practice and apply these skills within their writing tasks.

Indicator 1g

Most questions, tasks, and assignments are text-dependent, requiring students to engage with the text directly (drawing on textual evidence to support both what is explicit as well as valid inferences from the text).

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that most questions, tasks, and assignments are text-dependent/specific, requiring students to engage with the text directly (drawing on textual evidence to support both what is explicit as well as valid inferences from the text).

Grade 3 materials provide opportunities for students to engage with the text by answering text-dependent and text-specific questions. Each lesson includes questions and tasks that require students to answer text-dependent questions via discussions and in writing. Students answer both explicit and implicit questions requiring evidence from the text.

Materials include questions, tasks, and assignments that are text-dependent over the course of a school year. Examples include, but are not limited to:

In Unit 1, Week 1, students complete the shared reading, “Room to Grow” (unknown author). While reading, students are asked questions such as, “Why do Mama and Papa grow an indoor garden?” and are told to “Underline what happens after Kiku meets Jill. What happens the next day?”

In Unit 2, Week 2, after reading Vote by Eileen Christelow, students are asked the questions, “How does the author help you understand that voting is important? Look at the image in the middle of page 104. Why does the author say some people think that a vote is like a drop of water in the ocean? What is being compared?”

In Unit 3, Week 5, after reading “Birth of an Anthem” (unknown author), students are asked the question, “What effect did the Battle of Baltimore have on Key?”

In Unit 4, Week 3, after reading “Grey Wolf! Red Fox!”(Laurence Pringle), the students are asked questions such as “What animals are foxes related to? How is the gray wolf like a dog?”

In Unit 5, Week 3, students read Clever Jack takes the Cake by Candace Fleming and are asked questions such as, “What does Jack think about the party? What does his mother think? How did Jack get what he needed to make a cake?”

In Unit 6, Week 1, after reading Looking up to Ellen Ochoa by Liane Onish, students are asked, “How does Ellen Ochoa know what it's like to look out the window of a spaceship into space?”

Indicator 1h

Sets of high-quality sequences of text-dependent questions and tasks build to a culminating task that integrates skills (may be writing, speaking, or a combination).

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for sets of high-quality sequences of text-dependent/specific questions and tasks build to a culminating task that integrates skills (may be writing, speaking, or a combination).

Culminating tasks provide opportunities throughout the program for students to show what they know and are able to do. At the end of each Genre Study, students are required to make connections across texts and analyze a photograph to demonstrate their knowledge of the essential question of the unit. Students first discuss the prompt with a partner, then they find text evidence, and finally demonstrate their knowledge on an independent writing task.

Culminating tasks of quality are evident across a year’s worth of material. Tasks are supported with coherent sequences of text-dependent questions and tasks. Examples include, but are not limited to:

In Unit 1, Week 1, students read Yoon and the Jade Bracelet by Helen Recorvits and answer several questions such as, “What words and phrases in the text show how Yoon feels? What do Yoon’s classmates do and say when the teacher asks about the bracelet? What clues help them see that jade is important to Yoon’s culture?” Later, students complete a culminating task by responding independently to the writing prompt “How does Yoon change from the beginning of the story to the end?” using their previous notes and graphic organizer.

In Unit 2, Weeks 3 and 4, students learn about why people come to America. On Day 10, students write about how the texts The Castle on Hester Street by Linda Heller and “Next Stop, America!” (unknown author), plus a photograph, help them understand why people come to America. They first talk about it and then write their answers.

In Unit 4, Weeks 3 and 4, students learn about how animals adapt to challenges in their habitats. At the end of the unit, students discuss the texts Amazing Wildlife of the Mojave by Laurence Pringle and “Little Half Chick” (unknown author). Students talk about how the illustrations in these two texts help them understand how animals adapt to challenges.

In Unit 5, Weeks 1 and 2, students read fairy tales and at the end of the unit, students write how the poet of “Here’s a Nut” and the author of Clever Jack Takes the Cake (unknown author) help them visualize how the characters meet their needs. They first talk about it with a partner, then find text evidence, and finally write their response.

Indicator 1i

Materials provide frequent opportunities and protocols for evidencebased discussions that encourage the modeling and use of academic vocabulary and syntax. (May be small group and all-class.)

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials provide frequent opportunities and protocols for evidence-based discussions (small groups, peer-to-peer, whole class) that encourage the modeling and use of academic vocabulary and syntax.

Throughout the program, students have opportunities for evidence-based discussions in whole group discussions, small groups, and peer-to-peer conversations. Multiple opportunities for discussions are presented throughout the program including Think-Alouds, Talk About It, and Collaborative Conversations.

Examples of protocols used in the program for evidence-based discussions include:

In Unit 1, Week 6, teachers are provided with a framework to lead students to discuss the unit’s big idea. The steps include preparing individually, engaging in a collaborative conversation, presentations by group members, introduction of a second discussion question about the big idea, and finally, students reflecting on their learning from the collaborative conversation. They each thank their fellow collaborators for their contributions. This framework is present in each unit.

In Unit 3, Week 3, students use the Turn and Talk Routine to describe their visualization when reading page 225 of Martina the Beautiful Cockroach, A Cuban Folktale retold by Carmen Agra Deedy.

Examples of opportunities for evidence-based discussions that encourage modeling and the use of academic vocabulary and syntax include:

In Unit 1, Week 2, after reading Gary the Dreamer by Gary Soto, students work with a partner or in a small group to discuss completed charts in their Reading Writing Companion. Students refer to the sentence starters on page 19 of the Reading Writing Companion and use the sentence starters to guide their responses. For example, they can choose, “Gary describes his childhood by…” and “At the end, Gary writes…”

The program also includes support for teachers and students on the various evidence-based discussions used throughout the program. This includes:

Classroom Videos are provided for the teacher and students to watch model teachers and classrooms. In the video entitled Collaborative Conversations, the teacher in the video demonstrates conversational skills for students. In addition, the Instructional Routines Handbook provides a checklist for students and the routine for teachers.

The Instructional Routines Handbook provides step-by-step instructions for teachers on how to support student discussions. For example, on page 22, the teacher is prompted to use a small group to role play and model for the rest of the class in preparation for discussions. The Handbook also provides sentence frames that can be used to support students’ use of academic vocabulary and syntax. For example, students may use “Can you point to text evidence that shows ...?”

Indicator 1j

Materials support students' listening and speaking about what they are reading and researching (including presentation opportunities) with relevant follow-up questions and supports.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meetthe criteria for materials supporting students’ listening and speaking about what they are reading and researching (including presentation opportunities) with relevant follow-up questions and supports.

The materials provide opportunities for students to partake in listening and speaking activities about what they are reading through responding to evidence-based questions prompted by the teacher, as well as whole group and partner share. Collaborative conversations are encouraged throughout each unit. Students also have opportunities to discuss what they are researching. Examples include:

In Unit 1, Week 1, while reading “Room to Grow” (unknown author), students talk with a partner to answer the question, “How do you know who is telling the story?”

In Unit 2, Weeks 3 and 4, students read The Castle on Hester Street by Linda Heller, and students reread pages 130 and 131 and then discuss with a partner how Julie’s grandmother reacts to Sol’s story.

In Unit 3, Week 5, when reading “Moving America Forward,” an article by Time for Kids, students work in pairs and discuss important details within each paragraph, summarize each section, and then write summaries to share with the class.

In Unit 4, Weeks 3 and 4, students read, “Gray Wolf, Red Fox!” (Laurence Pringle) and work with a partner to orally summarize the text.

In Unit 5, Weeks 3 and 4, students read the paired text, “Carlos’s Gift“ (unknown author) and reread the text before talking with a partner about what Miss Jones and Carlos say about Pepper.

In Unit 6, Weeks 3 and 4, students read “Athena and Arachne” (unknown author) and work in pairs to find details to support the theme and then record them on a graphic organizer.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials include a mix of on-demand and process writing (e.g., multiple drafts, revisions over time) and short, focused projects, incorporating digital resources where appropriate.

Grade 3 materials provide opportunities for students to write daily. Throughout each unit, students engage in a variety of writing tasks. On-demand writing includes note-taking, graphic organizers, quick-writes, and answering questions about texts, while reading and after reading. Process writing includes essays and a variety of projects. Students also have the opportunity to revise and edit their work in each unit.

Students engage in on-demand writing throughout the year, during and after reading texts. Students often respond while reading to support comprehension or after reading to demonstrate comprehension. Examples of on-demand writing found throughout the program include:

In Unit 1, Week 2, after reading Gary the Dreamer by Gary Soto, students respond to the prompt, “How does Gary Soto help you see how his dreams helped him become a writer?”

In Unit 3, Week 1, students read Earth and its Neighbors by Jeffery Zuehike and then answer the question, “How does Jeffery Zuehike use text features to help you learn about Earth?” in their Reading Writing Companion.

In Unit 4, Week 3, students read “Gray Wolf! Red Fox!”(Laurence Pringle), and explain why the title is an accurate depiction of the text’s contents in their Reading Writing Companion.

In Unit 6, Week 3, after reading “Athena and Arachne” (unknown author), students explain how the dialogue shows the problem between the two characters in their Reading Writing Companion.

Process writing occurs in each Genre Study. Students go through examining a model text before brainstorming, drafting, editing, revising, and publishing their written pieces. Examples found throughout the program include:

In Unit 1, Genre Study 3, students write a persuasive essay about why a national park or landmark is an important place to visit in order to learn more about America.

In Unit 3, Genre Study 3, students write an expository essay about a person, event, or symbol important to the history of the United States. Students study a model before going through the writing process. Students also participate in peer review before publishing.

In Unit 4, Genre Study 1, students pre-write, draft, revise, and edit a realistic fiction story where the character uses a talent to help others. Students also engage in peer conferencing sessions to strengthen their writing before presenting their work.

In Unit 5, Genre Study 1, students write a biography. The biography includes information about how the person is a good citizen, as well as some specific things this person did to contribute to history.

Indicator 1l

Materials provide opportunities for students to address different text types of writing that reflect the distribution required by the standards.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials providing opportunities for students to address different text types of writing that reflect the distribution required by the standards.

Grade 3 materials provide opportunities for students to engage in a variety of writing types addressed in the standards over the course of the year. In each Genre Study, students complete either a narrative, opinion, or expository writing assignment. Students study model texts, go through a brainstorming process, and then write their own story or essay. Students have the opportunity to engage in narrative, expository, and opinion writing throughout the year.

Examples of narrative writing found throughout the school year include:

In Unit 2, Genre Study 3, students write a free verse poem describing a fun invention that could be used to solve a problem.

In Unit 4, Genre Study 1, students write a realistic fiction story about a character using a talent to help others.

In Unit 6, Genre Study 3, students write a narrative poem about a funny story that made them laugh.

Examples of opinion writing found throughout the school year include:

In Unit 1, Genre Study 3, students write a persuasive essay to convince readers that a certain U.S. park or landmark is important to visit to learn about America.

In Unit 5, Genre Study 3, students write an opinion essay about why a particular energy source is important.

Examples of expository writing found throughout the school year include:

In Unit 2, Genre Study 1, students write an expository essay explaining one way people make the government work.

In Unit 3, Genre Study 3, students write a feature article about a person, event, or symbol important to the history of the United States.

In Unit 5, Genre Study 1, students write a biography about a person in history who was a good citizen.

In Unit 6, Genre Study 1, students write a research report about a person who has worked hard to meet their goals.

Indicator 1m

Materials include frequent opportunities for evidence-based writing to support careful analyses, well-defended claims, and clear information.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials include frequent opportunities for evidence-based writing to support careful analyses, well-defended claims, and clear information.

Materials provide students with opportunities to engage in evidenced-based writing opportunities throughout the program, including within the Reading Writing Companion. In shared reading, students answer questions in writing while they are reading and are prompted to underline or circle evidence. After the anchor text, students answer a prompt in writing by using their notes and graphic organizer that were completed throughout the two-week read of the text.

Materials provide frequent opportunities across the school year for students to learn, practice, and apply evidence-based writing. Writing opportunities are focused around students’ analyses and claims developed from reading closely and working with the texts. Examples include, but are not limited to:

In Unit 1, Week 1, students engage in the shared read, “Room to Grow”(no author), by responding to prompts in their Reading Writing Companion. Students take notes while reading and then after reading the text, respond to the prompt, “How does Kiku change from the beginning of the story to the end?”

In Unit 2, Weeks 1 and 2, students read the anchor text Vote! by Ellen Christelowand respond to the prompt, “How does the author help you understand how American citizens are responsible for the way our government works?”

In Unit 3, Week 1, students read "Earth and Its Neighbors" during the shared read, and while reading, students are prompted to find text evidence and write responses to questions such as, “Why was 1961 an important year for space exploration? Underline text evidence. Draw a box around details that show what scientists did. Summarize in your own words.”

In Unit 4, Week 3, students read Amazing Wildlife of the Mojave by Laurence Pringle and then respond in writing to the question, “How do you know how the author feels about the wildlife in Mojave?” Students must include two or three animals that have adapted to survive in the desert and include details about how they adapted.

In Unit 5, Weeks 1 and 2, students read the anchor text, Elizabeth Leads the Way by Tanya Lee Stone and then respond to the question, “How does Tanya Lee Stone use Elizabeth’s biography to teach you about what it means to be a good citizen?” Students use their notes with evidence to complete this writing prompt.

In Unit 6, Week 1, students read “Rocketing Into Space” (unknown author) and then answer evidence-based questions in writing in their Reading Writing Companion. Questions include, “What did James do after he joined the Navy? Why is ‘Big Challenges’ a good heading for this section? How does the author help you understand how James Lovell felt about the Apollo 13 mission?” Students are prompted to circle the evidence in the text prior to responding to the questions.

Indicator 1n

Materials include explicit instruction of the grammar and conventions standards for grade level as applied in increasingly sophisticated contexts, with opportunities for application both in and out of context.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials include explicit instruction of the grammar and conventions standards for grade level as applied in increasingly sophisticated contexts, with opportunities for application both in and out of context.

Instructional materials provide opportunities for the teacher to explicitly teach each grammar objective and provide guided practice. Materials also include multiple opportunities for students to independently practice each new skill. The grammar focus is connected to the independent writing tasks. In addition to the grammar focus, each week of each unit includes a spelling focus, which provides opportunities for students to practice the conventional spellings of words with common spelling patterns and irregular spelling patterns. Students have opportunities over the course of the year to apply newly learned skills both in and out of context.

Materials include explicit instruction of grammar and conventions standards for the grade level. Examples include, but are not limited to:

Students have opportunities to explain the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in general and their functions in particular sentences.

In Unit 2, Week 1, Day 1, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains that a noun is a word that names a person, place, or thing. A common noun names any person, place, or thing, like, teacher, schoolhouse, chalk and a proper noun names a special person, place, or thing. The teacher explains that a proper noun begins with a capital letter. Proper nouns include people’s names (George Washington), towns (Los Angeles), states (Alaska), holidays (New Year’s Day), days (Saturday), months (July), streets (Michigan Avenue), special events (Olympics), geographical names (Mt. Rushmore), and historical periods (the Middle Ages). Students work in small groups and write ten common nouns on cards.

In Unit 3, Week 1, Day 1, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher says, "A complete sentence has a subject and a predicate. The subject tells what or whom the sentence is about. The predicate tells what the subject does and has a verb. A verb is a word that tells what the subject does or is." Partners use strong action verbs to talk about the different ways people can study the objects in our solar system. As they talk, students listen for the action verbs being used and identify them.

In Unit 6, Week 1, Day 1, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains that an adjective describes a noun. An adjective usually comes before the noun it describes. Small groups of students write down five goals they’d like to achieve. Students take turns choosing a goal and creating a simple, compound, or complex sentence using adjectives about why this goal is important.

Students have opportunities to form and use regular and irregular plural nouns.

In Unit 2, Week 2, Day 6, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher states, "A singular noun names one person, place, or thing. A plural noun names more than one person, place, or thing. Add -s to form the plural of most singular nouns. Add -es if the singular noun ends in -s, -ch, -sh, or -x." Students work as partners to write ten singular nouns ending in -s, -ch, -sh, or -x on pieces of paper. Then one student selects and reads a noun, and the other spells the word in its plural form. Students take turns picking and spelling nouns.

In Unit 2, Week 3, Day 1, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher says, "Some nouns have special plural forms. They do not add -s or -es to form a plural: Men, women, and children are the irregular plural noun forms of man, woman, and child. Mice is the irregular plural of the noun mouse. Collective nouns name groups of people, places, or things: band, family, crowd, swarm, herd." Small groups write five irregular plural nouns about why people immigrate. Students take turns selecting a noun and saying aloud the irregular plural form, as the others spell aloud the irregular plural noun in its singular form.

Students have opportunities to use abstract nouns (e.g., childhood).

In Unit 2, Week 1, Day 2, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher states, "A concrete noun names a person, place, or thing that can be seen or identified with any of the five senses: star, flower, music, sign, horn, wind, salt. An abstract noun names something that cannot be seen with the five senses. Abstract nouns usually name ideas: peace, honor, courage, friendship, honesty." Students work in small groups to write five abstract nouns on cards. The students take turns drawing cards. The student drawing the card will describe the abstract noun using concrete nouns, as the others guess the abstract noun.

Students have opportunities to form and use regular and irregular verbs.

In Unit 4, Week 5, Day 1, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains, "Not all verbs add -ed to form the past tense. An irregular verb has a special spelling for the past tense. Some irregular verbs are: come/came, do/did, say/said, go/went, eat/ ate, and sing/sang. Students have an additional opportunity to practice in the Practice Book page 229 or online activity, and in the Language Transfers Handbook page 18. Pairs of students work together to write five sentences using the present tense of an irregular verb. Students take turns reading their sentences aloud. The other partner names the irregular verb and then creates a sentence using the past-tense form.

Students have opportunities to form and use the simple (e.g., I walked; I walk; I will walk) verb tenses.

In Unit 3, Week 3, Day 1, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains that a past-tense verb tells about an action that has happened. "Add -ed to form the past tense of most verbs. Drop the e and add -ed to verbs that end in e. A regular past-tense verb’s form is used with both singular and plural subjects in simple and compound sentences." The students have an additional opportunity to practice in the Practice Book page 145 or online activity. Small groups write down five past-tense verbs on paper and place the pieces in a pile. Students take turns selecting a paper and saying the past-tense verb, as the others raise their hands to say aloud a sentence using the verb.

Students have opportunities to ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement.

In Unit 3, Week 2, Day 6, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher states, "The tense of a verb tells when the action takes place. A verb in the present tense tells what happens now. Add s to most present-tense verbs with singular subjects. Add nothing to present-tense verbs with plural subjects. A verb must agree in number with its subject." Students have additional opportunities to practice in the Practice Book page 133 or with the online activity.

In Unit 5, Week 3, Day 2, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher reviews subject pronoun and present-tense verb agreement. The teacher asks students the rules for making pronouns and verbs agree. The teacher says, "Do not add -s or -es to a present tense action verb when using plurals we, you, and they, or singular pronouns I and you. Subject pronouns and their verbs must agree in simple and compound sentences. Pronouns must agree with the noun to which they refer in number and gender." Students have the opportunity to practice in the Practice Book page 266.

Students have opportunities to form and use comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs, and choose between them depending on what is to be modified.

In Unit 6, Week 2, Day 6, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains that an adjective that tells what kind or how many is a descriptive adjective. The teacher says, "Use comparative adjectives to compare two nouns. Superlatives compare more than two nouns. Add -er to an adjective to compare two nouns. Add -est to compare more than two nouns." The students have the opportunity to practice in the Practice Book page 313 or with an online activity. Partners create a list of solar system objects. Then each student creates a sentence using a word from the list and either a comparative or superlative adjective to describe the objects.

In Unit 6, Week 4, Day 6, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains that adverbs can be used to compare two or more actions. "To compare using most one-syllable adverbs, add -er or -est: More and most are used with adverbs with two or more syllables. When using more or most, do not change adverbs’ endings to make comparisons." The students have the opportunity to practice in the Practice Book page 337 or with an online activity. Student pairs write five sentences each about things that are important to them, trade sentences, and write a companion sentence for each, using adverbs that compare.

Students have opportunities to use coordinating and subordinating conjunctions.

In Unit 1, Week 5, Day 1, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains that a simple sentence expresses a complete thought and must include a subject and a predicate. Students can combine simple sentences to add variety to writing. They learn to use a comma and the coordinating conjunctions and, or, or but. Students then complete Practice Book page 49 or online activity.

Students have opportunities to produce simple, compound, and complex sentences.

In Unit 1, Week 1, Day 1, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains that a sentence shows a complete thought and that every sentence begins with a capital letter. Students complete Practice Book page 1 or online activity. Students work in partners to write four simple sentences and four fragments about a story with animal characters on cards. Each partner reads a card aloud and the other says if it is a sentence or a fragment. Partners take turns reading aloud and identifying sentences and fragments.

In Unit 2, Week 4, Day 6, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains that you can combine sentences by joining two nouns in the subject. The teacher models how to use the coordinating conjunction and to join the nouns and form a compound subject. The teacher also explains that a combined sentence has a complete subject and predicate. Students have additional opportunities to practice using the Practice Book page 97 or online activity. Students work in pairs to write sentences about different countries people may move to or from. Each student takes turns reading aloud a new sentence that combines them.

Students have opportunities to capitalize appropriate words in titles.

In Unit 3, Week 4, Day 10, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains that the important words in a book or magazine are always capitalized. The teacher explains to students that the words the, and, in, of, and a are not capitalized in a title unless they are the first word. The teacher explains that you underline all of the words in a book or magazine title if you are handwriting it, but with a computer, you put the title in italic type. Students complete Practice Book page 159 or online activity.

Students have opportunities to use commas in addresses.

In Unit 3, Week 5, Day 3, during the Grammar part of the lesson, the teacher explains that there is punctuation in formal letters, dates, addresses, and locations. The teacher explains that you place a comma between the day and year, place a comma between a street address and a city, and between a town and a state in a location. The teacher then explains that you place a colon after the greeting of a formal letter and place a comma after the closing of a letter. Students then complete Practice Book page 171 or online activity.

Students have opportunities to use commas and quotation marks in dialogue.

In Unit 4, Week 3, Day 3, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains that quotation marks show that someone is speaking. They come at the beginning and end of the speaker’s exact words. The teacher says, "Begin a quotation with a capital letter. Commas and periods appear inside quotation marks. If the end of a quotation comes at the end of a sentence, use a period, question mark, or exclamation mark to end it. If the sentence continues after a quotation, use a comma to close." Students have additional opportunities to practice in the Practice Book page 207 or online activity.

Students have opportunities to form and use possessives.

In Unit 2, Week 5, Day 1, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains, "A possessive noun is a noun that shows who or what owns or has something. Add an apostrophe (‘) and the letter s to make a singular noun possessive." The students have opportunities for additional practice in the Practice Book page 109 or online activity and in the Language Transfers Handbook page 16. Partners write down on separate cards five problems in their community they think need to be solved. Taking turns, each partner draws a card from the stack and forms a sentence using the problem and a possessive noun. The other partner names the possessive noun.

Students have opportunities to use conventional spelling for high-frequency and other studied words and for adding suffixes to base words (e.g., sitting, smiled, cries, happiness).

In Unit 4, Week 2, Day 9, during the Spelling portion of the lesson, the teacher writes the sentences on the board and the students circle and correct each misspelled word. The teacher reminds students they can use print or electronic resources to check and correct spelling. The teacher reviews the spelling change rule when adding a plural with students. Students write the words multiple times in their writer’s notebook. Students correct a piece of their own writing and participate in additional practice in the Practice Book page 201.

In Unit 5, Week 2, Day 9, during the Spelling portion of the lesson, the teacher writes sentences on the board. Students circle and correct each misspelled word and the teacher reminds students they can use print or electronic sources to check and correct spelling. The teacher reminds students to follow the spelling rules for adding inflectional endings. The teacher says, "If a word ends in a vowel and consonant, as in drop, double the consonant to get dropped. If the word ends in a consonant and e, as in dance, drop the e when adding -ed and -ing to get danced and dancing. The students correct a piece of their own writing and participate in additional practice in Practice Book page 261.

In Unit 1, Week 1, Day 1, during the Spelling part of the lesson, the teacher displays the spelling words, reads them aloud, drawing out the short a and i vowel sounds in each word. The teacher points out the spelling patterns in camp and grin and that words with short a and i vowel sounds usually have the CVC (consonant-vowel- consonant) pattern, like cat and hit. Teacher shows that words with short a and i vowel sounds may also have CCVC or CVCC patterns. The teacher models sorting the words by pattern under keywords camp and grin and reminds students that the letters a and i followed by a consonant usually indicate a short vowel sound. Teacher uses the Dictation Sentences from Day 5 to give a pretest. Teacher says the underlined word, reads the sentence, and repeats the word. Students write the words.

Students have opportunities to consult reference materials, including beginning dictionaries, as needed to check and correct spellings.

In Unit 2, Week 3, Day 3, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains that a few plural nouns change spellings but do not add -s or -es. A few plural nouns are spelled exactly the same as the singular form. The teacher further explains that to check the spelling of a plural noun, students should look up the singular form in a dictionary. The students have additional opportunities to practice in Practice Book page 87 or online activity.

Students have opportunities to choose words and phrases for effect.

In Unit 4, Week 5, Day 5, during the Draft Writing portion of the lesson, the teacher reminds students that they will be writing a draft of a narrative poem. Students review the free-write activity and the word web they created during the Plan phase as they write their drafts. The teacher explains that a thesaurus can be a useful tool to find words to make their poem interesting and points out that they can also use a thesaurus to check and correct spellings of words. The teacher reminds students to group their ideas into stanzas, as well as to use repetition and rhyme. Pairs of students identify the repetition and rhyme in each other’s drafts, and discuss how this helped them visualize what was happening in the poem.

Criterion 1o - 1q

Materials in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language targeted to support foundational reading development are aligned to the standards.

Wonders 2020 for Grade 3 includes materials, questions and connected tasks that include explicit instruction in and practice of phonics, word recognition, and word analysis skills based on a research-based progression. Students also receive consistent instruction and practice to achieve fluency in oral and silent reading.

Indicator 1o

Materials, questions, and tasks address grade-level CCSS for foundational skills by providing explicit instruction and assessment in phonics and word recognition that demonstrate a research-based progression.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials, questions, and tasks address grade-level CCSS for foundational skills by providing explicit instruction and assessment in phonics and word recognition that demonstrate a research-based progression.

Grade 3 materials provide explicit phonics instruction in the whole group spelling opportunities, as well as, reinforced opportunities in the small group differentiated instruction. The instruction follows a scope and sequence of reviewing past skills, such as long and short vowel patterns and inflectional endings, and builds upon that base, introducing prefixes, suffixes and multi-syllabic word patterns. Weekly Spelling tests are given the fifth day of each weekly sequence to determine students’ proficiency in spelling words with these spelling patterns. Students also have the opportunity to decode these words within context during Shared Read and the reading of their Anthology text for the week. There are pre/post assessments for spelling weekly in addition to progress monitoring tools such as a phonics survey, spelling inventory and fluency assessment to assess knowledge and application of word recognition skills.

Materials contain explicit instruction of phonics and word recognition consistently over the course of the year. Examples include, but are not limited to:

Students have opportunities to identify and know the meaning of the most common prefixes and derivational suffixes.

In Unit 5, Week 5, Day 2, during Phonics, the teacher explains that a prefix is a word part added to the beginning of a word and that a suffix is a word part added to the end of a word. Both prefixes and suffixes change the meaning of the root word. The prefix un- means “not.” The prefix re- means “again.” The suffix -able means “capable of or able to.” The suffix -ful means “full of.” The suffix -ly means “in a certain way.”

Some words have more than one affix. The word unhappily has the prefix un- and the suffix -ly. The word unhappily means “in a way that is not happy.” The teacher models by writing and saying the words rewrite, unzip, uncomfortable, and carefully. Students find the affix(es) in each word and using the affixes to determine the meanings of the words.

Students have opportunities to decode words with common Latin suffixes.

In Unit 6, Week 5, Day 4, during Spelling, students participate in a blind sort using words that include the suffixes: -ful, -less, and -ly. Partners work together. One reads a spelling word card; the other tells under which key word it belongs. Students take turns until they both have sorted all their words. Then students explain how they sorted the words. During Reading/Writing Companion, on Day 1, students read the poem, “The Camping Trip,” which include words with -ly; such as, barely and crawly.

Students have opportunities to decode multi-syllable words.

In Unit 6, Week 2, Day 6, during Spelling, students work with multi-syllabic words that include -le. The teacher displays the spelling words and reads them aloud, drawing out and slowly enunciating the consonant -le syllables. The teacher models how to spell the word able and draws a line between the syllables: a/ble. The teacher demonstrates sorting the spelling words by pattern. The teacher sorts a few words by the spelling of the final consonant sound. The teacher reviews the spellings of final syllables with the consonant -le or -el pattern. Students cut apart the Spelling Word Cards and read the words aloud with a partner and the partners do an open sort. Students record the sort in their writer’s notebook. The spelling words include: able, purple, riddle, handle, eagle, puzzle, castle, little, pickle, towel, nickel, camel, travel, tunnel, and squirrel.

Students have opportunities to read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.

In Unit 4, Week 3, Day 1, during Spelling, students work with words that have variant vowels. The teacher displays the spelling words and reads them aloud, drawing out and slowly enunciating the /ô/ sounds in each word. The teacher models how to spell the word lawn. The teacher segments the word sound by sound and then attaches a spelling to each sound. The teacher points out that aw is one way to spell the /ô/ sound. The teacher demonstrates sorting the spelling words by pattern under key words taught, lawn, and salt. The teacher sorts a few words and tells them that /ô/ can be spelled aw, au, a, and ou as in bought. Students cut apart the Spelling Word Cards available online and initial the back of each card. Students read the words aloud with a partner. The partners do an open sort and record the sort in their writer’s notebook.

All tasks and questions are sequenced to application of grade-level work (e.g., application of prefixes at the end of the unit/year; decoding multi-syllable words). Examples include, but are not limited to:

The core materials include Spelling component in each week for each of the 6 units:

Multiple assessment opportunities are provided over the course of the year to inform instructional adjustments of phonics and word recognition to help students make progress toward mastery. Examples include, but are not limited to:

In Placement and Diagnostic Assessment, page xvii, the materials explain that beyond the initial placement of students into the appropriate Wonders level of materials, students need to be tested periodically to determine whether they are progressing on a grade-level or at a faster pace. The program suggests that teachers administer these progress monitoring or benchmark tests on a regular schedule throughout the year: fall, winter, and spring, or over a regular period of time, such as every four to six weeks. A chart is provided for general testing scheduling guide.

In each unit, each week, the students complete a pretest and post-test of the week’s spelling words. For example, in Unit 2, Week 1, the students participate in a pretest for long i and long u words with Dictation Sentences.

In Unit 2, Week 1, Day 1, during Whole Group Vocabulary, the teacherpractices various target vocabulary words with students in sentences and context. In the Approaching Level group, students review high-frequency words with the teacher by the teacher displaying the word, students repeating, teacher and students spelling the word together, teacher modeling using the words in sentences, and students repeating after. Students then have opportunities to use the words verbally and in written form to make their own sentences, using sentence starters if necessary. In the On Level group, the teacher reviews the words with students. Teacher asks questions, using the high-frequency words in the question. Students respond verbally and explain their answers. In the Beyond Level group, the students review words and their meanings, using Social Studies sentences comprised of these words. Students write their own sentences using various words from the board. Students then work in pairs to discuss meanings and individually write Social Studies-related sentences using the words in context.

In Unit 5, Week 3, Day 1, during Spelling, the teacher displays the spelling words and reads them aloud, drawing out the closed syllables in each word. The teacher points out the closed-syllable, VC/CV spelling pattern in the word napkin and draws a line between the syllables: nap/kin. The teacher says each syllable and points out that when a vowel is followed by two consonants, the syllables usually separate between the two consonants. The teacher demonstrates sorting the spelling words by pattern under keywords napkin and mammal. The teacher points out that some words with closed syllables will contain the same consonant twice in a row, such as mammal or rabbit.

In Unit 6, Week 5, Day 1, during Spelling, the teacher dictates fifteen sentences using words with suffixes -ful and -ly. The teacher displays the spelling words, reads them aloud, drawing out the suffixes -ful, -less, and -ly, and reviewing their meanings. The teacher points out the spelling pattern in wisely. The teacher draws a line between the syllables: wise/ly. The teacher sorts the spelling words by suffixes. Students cut apart the Spelling Word Cards available online and initial the back of each card. Students read the words aloud with a partner and then do an open sort. Students record the sort in their writer’s notebook.

Indicator 1p

Materials, lessons, and questions provide instruction in and practice of word analysis skills in a research-based progression in connected text and tasks.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials, lessons, and questions provide instruction in and practice of word analysis skills in a research-based progression in connected text and tasks.

Grade 3 materials provide opportunities throughout the course of the year for students to learn, practice, and apply word analysis skills in connected texts and tasks. Throughout each unit, there is a five-day sequence which begins with explicit instruction of the Spelling and Phonics pattern, as well as a pretest. Additional practice includes Practice Book pages for review. Materials include opportunities for teachers to assess students’ acquisition of word analysis skills, through the use of both formal and informal assessments such as weekly pre- and post-tests, Progress Monitoring, and Running Records. Teachers can make decisions about students based on these formal and informal assessments throughout the week.

Multiple and variedopportunities are provided over the course of the year in core materials for students to learn, practice, and apply word analysis skills in connected texts and tasks. Examples include, but are not limited to:

In Unit 2, Week 2, Day 8, during the Expand Vocabulary part of the lesson, the teacher reminds students that a prefix is a word part added to the beginning of a base word to change its meaning. The teacher displays the On Level Differentiated Genre Passage “Express Yourself.” The teacher reads the first paragraph and models figuring out the meaning of unusual. Pairs of students use the prefixes and base words to figure out the meanings of other unfamiliar words in the passage. Students complete Practice Book page 84.

In Unit 3, Week 5, Day 1, during Spelling, the teacher reminds students that /oi/ can be spelled oy as in annoy or oi as in foil, and /ou/ can be spelled ow as in how, or ou as in foul. The teacher displays the spelling words and reads them aloud, heavily enunciating the diphthong in each. The teacher models sorting a few spelling words by pattern under key words foil, enjoy, down, and round and points out that oy is another /oi/ spelling, and ow is another /ou/ spelling. Students cut apart the Spelling Word Cards available online and initial the back of each card. Students read the words aloud with a partner. Partners do an open sort and record the sort in their writer’s notebook.

In Unit 4, Week 2, Day 8, during the Expand Vocabulary part of the lesson, the teacher reminds students that adding a prefix to the beginning of a base word changes the meaning. The teacher reminds them to use the meaning of the prefix and base word to determine the meaning of the whole word. The teacher displays On Level Differentiated Genre Practice “Painting From Memory” and reads the first paragraph and models figuring out the meaning of impossible. Students complete Practice Book page 48.

Materials include word analysis assessment to monitor student learning of word analysis skills. Examples include, but are not limited to:

Materials include both formal and informal assessments that the teacher can use to place students in differentiated groups based on their performance.

Progress Monitoring: tests reading comprehension, vocabulary strategies; grades 1-6; given at the end of each genre study instruction period.

Benchmark Assessments: tests reading comprehension, vocabulary strategies, literary elements, text features, grammar, mechanics and usage, writing; grades K-6; given at the middle and the end of the school year.

In Unit 3, Week 5, Day 1, during Spelling, the teacher uses the Dictation Sentences from Day 5 to give the pretest. The teacher says the underlined word, reads the sentence, and repeats the word. Students write the words. Differentiated spelling lists are provided for the Approaching Level, On Level, and Beyond Level. On Day 5, students are informally assessed in Spelling and for Oral Reading Fluency. Assigned practice pages are used to collect data and the following instructional suggestions are given. The teacher should use the Phonics/Word Study PDF and the Foundational Skills Kit for additional reteaching lessons. A spelling post-test is also given on Day 5. The teacher uses the Dictation Sentences for the post-test. Students list misspelled words in their writer’s notebook. The teacher looks for students’ use of these words in their writings. Practice Book page 178 is used for review.

Indicator 1q

Instructional opportunities are frequently built into the materials for students to practice and achieve reading fluency in oral and silent reading, that is, to read on-level prose and poetry with accuracy, rate appropriate to the text, and expression.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for instructional opportunities are frequently built into the materials for students to practice and achieve reading fluency in oral and silent reading, that is, to read on-level prose and poetry with accuracy, rate appropriate to the text, and expression.

Instructional materials provide opportunities for students to read grade-level text with purpose and understanding. In each unit and each five-day sequence of lessons, students read and reread grade- level text in the Literature Anthology and the Shared Read lesson. Students take notes, make text comparisons, and have discussions with peers. Students practice reading grade-level text with appropriate expression, accuracy, and rate during whole group fluency lessons that can be found on the fifth week of the unit on the fifth day of instruction. There are multiple opportunities for students to be assessed for fluent reading, which is provided on the fifth day of each five-day sequence. Instructional adjustments are provided to teachers based on student results. In the Placement and Diagnostic Assessment resource, the year-long chart indicates three fluency assessment options throughout the year: Oral Reading Fluency, Informal Reading Inventory, and Running Records.

Multiple opportunities are provided over the course of the year in core materials for students to demonstrate sufficient accuracy and fluency in oral and silent reading. Examples include, but are not limited to:

Students have opportunities to read grade-level text with purpose and understanding.

In Unit 1, Week 1, Day 1, during Shared Read, students read Room to Grow. Before they begin, students think about the Essential Question and what they know about different cultures, and then set a purpose for reading. The teacher explains that setting a purpose for reading helps students stay focused and gain information from the text. As students read, they use the left column of page 2 to note their questions, list interesting words they would like to learn, and identify key details from the text.

In Unit 3, Week 4, Day 7, during Literature Anthology, students read and reread Get a Backbone. As the read, they are encouraged to take notes and think about the Essential Question: "What makes different animals unique?" Students are told to think about how this text compares with Martina, the Beautiful Cockroach. Students discuss how these texts are similar and different.

In Unit 4, Week 1, Day 1, during Shared Reading, the teacher has students think about the Essential Question, concerning what they know about pets, and then make a prediction about the story. The teacher explains that as students read, they should use the left column of page 104 to note their questions, list interesting words they would like to learn, and identify key details from the text.

Materials support reading or prose and poetry with attention to rate, accuracy, and expression, as well as direction for students to apply reading skills when productive struggle is necessary. Examples include, but are not limited to:

Students have opportunities to read grade-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings.

In Unit 1, Week 1, Day 1, during Shared Read students read Room to Grow. The teacher circulates and provides corrective feedback as partners take turns reading. The teacher listens for accuracy, expression, and how the author makes it interesting to read.

In Unit 4, Week 5, Day 5, during Fluency, the teacher explains to students that reading with expression means to emphasize certain words to show emotion and that reading poetry with expression makes poems more interesting and shows how the poem makes the reader feel. Sound devices, such as repetition and rhyme, can be clearly heard when the lines are read aloud. The teacher discusses how punctuation marks affect how we read with expression. The teacher models through read aloud the excerpt from the poem on Reading/Writing Companion page 179 with expression. The teacher reads each line carefully, paying attention to voice and models using expression to show the courage the captain feels as he takes charge to save his ship. Groups of students chorally read the same passage, mimicking the teacher’s use of expression. Partners read Captain’s Log on Reading/Writing Companion pages 162 and 163 and the teacher explains that he/she will help them improve their reading by pointing out where they can use expression more effectively. The teacher circulates and offers feedback and students evaluate their own reading and take notes.

In Unit 5, Week 5, Day 5, during Fluency, the teacher explains to students that reading with accuracy and proper rate is very important in reading argumentative texts, and that facts need to be read accurately and clearly. The teacher discusses how to look up the pronunciation of words so that students pronounce all words accurately. The teacher explains that the points and counterpoints in an argumentative text need to be read at a steady rate so that listeners can hear each reason for and against the topic and decide for themselves with which side they agree. The teacher models through reading aloud the excerpt on Reading/Writing Companion page 77 with accuracy and proper rate and reads each sentence carefully, pronouncing proper names correctly. The teacher models emphasizing signal words and using punctuation to make each point clear. Groups chorally read the same passage, mimicking the teacher’s accurate reading at an appropriate rate. The teacher listens for the same qualities in their reading. Partners read page 419 in their Literature Anthology with accuracy and appropriate rate. The teacher circulates and offers feedback. Students evaluate their own reading.

In Unit 6, Week 5, Day 5, during Whole Group Fluency, the teacher tells students that reading with proper phrasing and good expression is very important when reading poetry. Sound devices such as repetition and rhyme can be clearly heard when the lines are read aloud. The teacher discusses how to use punctuation to guide phrasing. The teacher models and reads aloud the excerpt from the poem on Reading/Writing Companion page 175 with proper phrasing. The teacher has groups choral read the same passage, mimicking careful phrasing and use of expression. The teacher reminds students that they will be listening for the same qualities in their reading. Then, partners read Bubble Gum on Reading/Writing Companion pages 158 and 159.

Materials support students’ fluency development of reading skills (e.g., self-correction of word recognition and/or for understanding, focus on rereading) over the course of the year (to get to the end of the grade-level band). Examples include, but are not limited to:

Students have opportunities to use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.

In Unit 2, Week 2, Day 6, for the literature anthology called Vote!, the teacher cues students to reread to support understanding of what was read. Context clues prompts and instruction are provided with vocabulary lessons to assist students in determining word meaning.

In Unit 6, Week 1, Day 1, during Introduce the Genre, the teacher reads the text aloud to students and previews the comprehension strategy, Reread, by using the Think-Alouds on page T23. The teacher displays Think Aloud Master 4 and says, "When I read, I had to reread to reinforce how to use the Reread strategy to understand content."

Assessment materials provide teachers and students with information of students’ current fluency skills and provide teachers with instructional adjustments to help students make progress toward mastery of fluency. Examples include, but are not limited to:

Both formal and informal assessments are provided that the teacher can use to place students in differentiated groups based on their performance.

Placement and Diagnostic Assessments: tests oral reading fluency, Grades 1-6; given at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year.

Fluency Assessments: tests oral reading fluency, Grades K-6; given at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year or more frequently if below the 50th percentile.

Running Records: tests oral reading fluency; Grades K-6; given at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year or more frequently if skill is weak.

In the Placement and Diagnostic Assessment book, the year long assessment chart, shows the following assessments for Fluency for grade 3: Oral Reading Fluency to be administered the beginning, middle, and end of the Year, Running Records to be administered every three to four weeks, and the Informal Reading Inventory to be administered the beginning, middle, and end of the Year.

Gateway Two

Building Knowledge with Texts, Vocabulary, and Tasks

Meets Expectations

Texts are organized around genres studies focused on an essential question and topic. Sequences of questions and tasks support students as they analyze both content and craft within and across texts. Questions and tasks invite students to demonstrate their knowledge of a topic through integrated (writing and speaking) tasks, including focused research topics. Cohesive, year-long plans support both grade-level writing and vocabulary acquisition. The materials encourage and support a volume of independent reading, both in and out of class.

Criterion 2a - 2h

32/32

Indicator 2a

Texts are organized around a topic/topics (or, for grades 6-8, topics and/or themes) to build students' ability to read and comprehend complex texts independently and proficiently.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that texts are organized around a topic/topics to build students’ ability to read and comprehend complex texts independently and proficiently.

Grade 3 materials provide opportunities for students to engage with texts organized into genre studies. Each genre study is a collection of texts that are organized around an essential question and topic. The instructional framework for reading the texts begins with students listening to a read-aloud about the topic to build background knowledge. Then students participate in a shared reading of the topic. Later, students complete a close read with an anchor text on the topic. Students also read more about the topic in a paired selection to the anchor text. Differentiated texts for small group instruction are related to the genre study topic as well. There are also suggested books to put in the classroom library that align to the topic.

Texts are connected by an appropriate topic. Examples include, but are not limited to:

In Unit 1, Genre Study 1, the essential question is “How do people from different cultures contribute to a community?” Some of the texts that support the understanding of the essential question include:

“Faith Ringgold: Telling Through Art" (unknown author): a narrative nonfiction used as the interactive read-aloud about Faith Ringgold’s concept of community;

Gary The Dreamer by Gary Soto: a narrative nonfiction used for the anchor text about poet Gary Soto and his community;

“Room to Grow” (unknown author): a narrative nonfiction used for shared reading about a family helping their community grow;

“Sharing Cultures” (unknown author); an article in the literature anthology about cultures;

Books for independent reading include: On the Town: A Community Adventure by Judith Casely and Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto.

In Unit 2, Genre Study 1, the essential question is “How do people make government work?” Some of the text titles that support the understanding of the essential question and the topic of government include:

“All About Elections” (unknown author): an expository text for the interactive read aloud to begin teaching about elections;

“Every Vote Counts” (unknown author): an expository text for shared reading that teaches students about voting;

Vote! by Eileen Christelow: an expository text in the literature anthology;

“A Plan for the People” (unknown author): an expository text that teaches about government;

Leveled Readers: “The Race for the Presidency;”

Books for independent reading include:The President’s Stuck in the Bathtub: Poems about the Presidents and The Enormous by Aubrey Davis.

In Unit 5, Genre Study 1, the essential question is “What do good citizens do?” and students read biographies to answer this question. Some of the titles that support the understanding of the essential question and the topic include:

“Jimmy Carter: A Good Citizen” (unknown author): an interactive read-aloud that teaches students the structure of biographies, while also teaching students about the president;

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials contain sets of coherently sequenced questions and tasks that require students to analyze the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts.

Grade 3 materials provide opportunities for students to analyze text through questioning. Students analyze texts by reading them several times. Questions begin with key ideas and details in the first read and author’s craft when rereading.

For most texts, students are asked to analyze language and/or author’s word choice. Examples include, but are not limited to:

In Unit 1, Week 1, during the shared read, “Room to Grow”(unknown author), students are asked, “What does potted mean? How do you know the meaning? How would you define a traditional Japanese garden? What text evidence supports your definition?”

In Unit 2, Genre Study 2, students read “Sailing to America” (unknown author), and are asked questions, such as, “What two things are compared? What does the simile help you understand?”

In Unit 3, Genre Study 3, students read “Anansi Learns a Lesson” (unknown author), and are asked, “What does the word sly mean?” What does Turtle think when Anansi smiles and offers him some food? What is the real reason Anansi has a ‘sly and tricky grin?’”

For most texts, students analyze key ideas and details. Examples include, but are not limited to:

In Unit 1, Week 1, students read “Room to Grow” (unknown author), and are asked questions about key ideas and details such as, “What details tell how Jill feels about Mama’s and Papa’s indoor garden?”

In Unit 2, Genre Study 2, students read “Sailing to America” (unknown author), and are asked questions such as, “Why does Da tell the children to cheer up? What clues in the illustrations help you understand how Da is feeling about leaving? Why do you think Da is happy about leaving?”

In Unit 3, Genre Study 3, students read “Anansi Learns a Lesson” (unknown author), and are asked, “Why does Turtle invite Anansi to his house? What words does Turtle use to describe what the dinner will be like? What does Anansi do when Turtle discovers that all the bananas are gone? What does this tell you about Anansi’s personality?”

In Unit 6, Genre Study 2, students read King Midas the Golden Touch by Margaret H. Lippert, and are asked, “What details do the characters of Midas and Marigold provide about King Midas’s love of gold? What inference can you make about how Marigold feels about her father? Why does Marigold give King Midas a stone in the shape of a heart?”

For most texts, students analyze structure and craft. Examples include, but are not limited to:

In Unit 1, Week 3, students read Yoon and the Jade Bracelet by Helen Recorvits. Students are asked to reread the first paragraph on page 34 and identify the repeated words before answering the question, “Why did the author repeat these words?” Afterwards, students are asked, “How does the author show through dialogue that the older girl knows nothing about the bracelet?”

In Unit 2, Genre Study 2, students read “Sailing to America” (unknown author), and are asked questions such as, “How did the author help you understand that Nora and her family lived a long time ago? How does the author use dialogue to help you understand how Danny and Nora feel about moving?”

In Unit 3, Genre Study 3, students read “Anansi Learns a Lesson” (unknown author), and are asked, “How does the author use dialogue to help you understand what Turtle is like? How does the author use repetition to help you understand what sank means?”

In Unit 6, Genre Study 2, students read King Midas the Golden Touch by Margaret H. Lippert, and are asked “How does the author help you visualize how much King Midas loves gold? How does the author show that King Midas is not just interested in gold? How does the author contrast Midas’s love of gold and his caring for other people?”

Indicator 2c

Materials contain a coherently sequenced set of text-dependent questions and tasks that require students to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas across both individual and multiple texts.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials contain a coherently-sequenced set of high-quality text-dependent questions and tasks that require students to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas within individual texts as well as across multiple texts.

Grade 3 materials provide opportunities for students to engage with texts and text-dependent questions that help build knowledge. Students are asked questions both during reading and after reading to help build knowledge. All lessons include text-dependent questions and tasks that require students to analyze the integration of knowledge.

Sets of questions and tasks support students’ analysis of knowledge and ideas across the year. Examples include, but are not limited to:

In Unit 1, Genre Study 3, students read “Preserve and Protect” (unknown author), and are asked a series of questions across the two weeks to build knowledge. Questions include, “What are three details in the second paragraph that tell about the Giant Forest? What are three things President Johnson’s laws protect? What does the sidebar tell us about what a national monument is?”

In Unit 2, Week 1, students read, "Every Vote Counts!" (unknown author), and are asked a series of questions that build knowledge, such as, “What does the author think is important about voting? How does the author feel about people not voting?” Then students reread the last sentence of paragraph 1 on page 10 and are asked, “Based on what you have read, why do you think Kids Voting USA is trying to convince everyone to vote?”

In Unit 3, Genre Study 1, students read, “Earth and Its Neighbors” (unknown author), and are asked, “Why was the invention of the telescope important to the study of the sun and the solar system? What did Galileo study? How is the Hubble Space Telescope different from other telescopes and satellites?”

In Unit 4, Genre Study 2, students read, “Gray Wolf! Red Fox!” (Laurence Pringle), and are asked questions, such as, “What animals are foxes related to? How are a wolf’s fur and a fox’s fur the same? How is their fur different? How is a wolf’s diet different from a fox’s?”

Students also have an opportunity to analyze knowledge across multiple texts at the end of each unit. Examples include, but are not limited to:

In Unit 1, Genre Study 3, students analyze an illustration and then respond to the question, “How is the message of the illustration below like the message of ‘Protecting Our Parks’ and ‘3 Questions for George McDonald?’”

In Unit 2, Week 2, students read Vote! and A Plan for the People and at the end of the unit students discuss the essential question, “How do people make government work?” Students discuss what they have learned from each text about how government works. Then students respond to the question, “How does the information you read in Vote! and A Plan for the People help you understand what is happening in the engraving?” on page 126 of the Reading Writing Companion.

In Unit 4, Genre Study 2, students respond to the prompt, “How does this photograph and the photographs and illustrations in Amazing Wildlife of the Mojave and ‘Little Half Chick’ help you understand how animals adapt to challenges."

Indicator 2d

The questions and tasks support students' ability to complete culminating tasks in which they demonstrate their knowledge of a topic (or, for grades 6-8, a theme) through integrated skills (e.g. combination of reading, writing, speaking, listening).

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that the questions and tasks support students' ability to complete culminating tasks in which they demonstrate their knowledge of a topic (or, for grades 6-8, a theme) through integrated skills (e.g., combination of reading, writing, speaking, listening).

Instructional materials provide students opportunities to complete culminating tasks that are related to the text they are reading. Culminating tasks integrate reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills and provide opportunities for students to show their knowledge of a topic.

Culminating tasks are provided and are multifaceted, requiring students to demonstrate mastery of several different standards and strands, as well as the knowledge gained in the unit. Examples include, but are not limited to:

In Unit 1, Genre Study 1, students answer the Essential Question, “How do people from different cultures contribute to the community?” Students read and discuss several texts to answer this question. Before completing the Show What You Learned writing prompt, students work with a partner to compare and contrast Gary the Dreamer with “Sharing Cultures.” Students write their response and their final task is to synthesize in writing what they learned about how community members share their cultures.

In the Unit 2 Wrap-Up, students are asked to think about two public services that they think are important. They use a Venn diagram to determine how these two services are similar and different as they relate to the Essential Question, “How do people make government work?”Then students write a public service announcement explaining how these two services work.

In Unit 4, Week 2, students create a chart of the titles of each text that have been read in the prior two weeks. Then students use their notes to write what they learned about the Essential Question from each text on the chart. Later, students discuss how the author and the photographer of The Talented Clementine work together to provide an answer to the Essential Question, and students write their ideas about this discussion prompt in their Reading Writing Companion. Finally, students write a synthesized response to the Essential Question.

In Unit 5, Weeks 3 and 4, students demonstrate comprehension and knowledge of the topic in the unit by answering the Essential Question, “How do we get what we need?” Students discuss their responses to the Essential Question with a partner while referring to their responses that have been recorded in their Reading Writing Companion, prior to writing their response.

Indicator 2e

Materials include a cohesive, year-long plan for students to interact with and build key academic vocabulary words in and across texts.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials include a cohesive, year-long plan for students to interact with and build key academic vocabulary words in and across texts.

Grade 3 materials provide students the opportunity to interact with and build key academic vocabulary words in and across texts. Students interact with vocabulary through practice exercises, reading in context, word families, and affixes. Students also keep track of their vocabulary words in Build Your Word List in their Writing Notebook. Students complete vocabulary tasks in the Reading Writing Companion and are assessed at the end of each unit on the vocabulary strategy. Guidance is provided to teachers in the form of videos, articles, and a handbook. Many different academic vocabulary and other vocabulary words are introduced during the week. Materials provide a vocabulary development component in the Tier 2 Intervention booklet.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

In the resource, Instructional Routine Handbook, page 77, teachers are guided through a four-step routine that can be used throughout the year to introduce vocabulary.

Step 1: Introduce (Explain the vocabulary routine.)

The teacher explains, “Today we will learn new vocabulary words. I will say a vocabulary word, define it, and use it in a sentence. Then, I will ask you to use the word in a sentence. The more we practice using the new words, the better readers and writers we will be.”

Step 2: Model (I Do): Define/Example/Ask

The teacher explains, “I am going to say the vocabulary word so you can hear the correct pronunciation. Then I am going to define it and use it in a sentence.”

Step 3: Guided Practice (We Do): Students are given opportunities to use and apply words.

The teacher describes different situations and students decide if the vocabulary word is an example of the situation.

Step 4: Independent Practice (You Do):

“Individual turns allow you an opportunity to assess each student’s skill level and provide additional practice for those students who need it. Near the end of each week, students should write sentences in their word study notebooks using the words.”

Materials provide teacher guidance outlining a cohesive year-long program that builds students’ academic vocabulary. Students engage in vocabulary instruction and application each day of the unit. The vocabulary words are related to the Essential Question, which helps students build knowledge. Students complete vocabulary tasks before reading, while reading, and after reading. Examples include, but are not limited to:

In Unit 1, Week 1, on Day 1 after reading the text, Gary the Dreamer by Gary Solo, students choose one word from the text and write it in the center of a “word web.” Around it, students add words that relate to that word. Then on Day 2, students review the target vocabulary words. Students complete sentence stems orally with vocabulary words, including the words sprinkled and ammunition. Then on Day 3, students use the target words in their Writer’s Notebook to write sentences.

In Unit 3, Week 3, Day 1, after reading “Anansi Learns a Lesson” (unknown author),words in context are introduced and instruction for using synonyms to determine meaning is provided. Students use the text to practice this skill by working on defining the word awkward. Students also talk with a partner about various sentences in the story with target vocabulary words, such as “Winnie stared in disbelief at the huge shark.”, where disbelief is the target word. Students then write about something that they would stare at in disbelief.

In Unit 5, Week 1, before reading “Irma Rangel, Texas Lawmaker” (unknown author), students make note of interesting words. Then while reading the text, students circle the root word in disagreeable and then use its prefix and suffix to write what it means. After finishing the text, students go back to the text and use the context clues, root words, and affixes to write the meaning of unfairness.

In Unit 6, Week 1, after reading “Rocketing into Space”(unknown author), students continue to learn words in context and instruction for using Greek and Latin roots to determine meaning is provided. Students work in pairs to find the meaning of unknown words in the text, such as lunar, using this strategy. Students also discuss various sentences that include the target vocabulary words with partners, such as, “My family admires my good test grades.” Students then answer questions using the vocabulary words, such as, “What do you admire about a friend?”.

Indicator 2f

Materials include a cohesive, year-long plan to support students' increasing writing skills over the course of the school year, building students' writing ability to demonstrate proficiency at grade level at the end of the school year.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials include a cohesive, year-long plan to support students' increasing writing skills over the course of the school year, building students' writing ability to demonstrate proficiency at grade level at the end of the school year.

Grade 3 materials provide students the opportunity to write and respond to texts throughout the year. Within each unit, teachers prepare students for a specific writing task at the end of four weeks. Students read texts in the same genre as the writing task. In addition, throughout the unit they take notes and respond to questions by analyzing texts in the Reading Writing Companion and in the Writer’s Notebook. As students progress through the units, they are asked to write longer pieces with more complex prompts that meet grade-specific standards as they work through the steps of the writing process.

Materials include writing instruction aligned to the standards for the grade level, and writing instruction spans the whole school year. Writing instruction supports students’ growth in writing skills over the course of the school year. Examples include, but are not limited to:

In Unit 1, Week 1, students write an expository essay. Students analyze how authors do this throughout the week by being asked questions such as after reading “Earth and Its Neighbors”(unknown author), “How does the author help you see what an astronomer does?” and “How does the author use keywords to help you understand more about space?”. Before writing their essay, students are asked how the author starts the first paragraph.

In Unit 6, students read biographies and write a research report at the end of the four weeks. Students write in response to questions and tasks in their Reading Writing Companion while reading biographies, in order to prepare them for their own written biography. Writing prompts that prepare students for the report include, “How does the author help you understand how motivated James Lovell was to become an astronaut?” (after reading “Rocketing Into Space” (unknown author). During Week 1, Day 3, students read Looking Up to Ellen Ochoa by Liane B. Onish and record text features and write how they help them learn about Ellen Ochoa on a graphic organizer. Then on Day 5, students are told they will be writing a research report about someone who has worked hard to achieve his or her goals by studying the two texts that have been read during the week. Students analyze an expert model and respond in their Reading Writing Companion to the question, “How does the Liane Onish introduce the topic?”

Instructional materials include well-designed lesson plans, models, and protocols for teachers to implement and monitor students’ writing development. Students write every day in their writer’s notebooks. Students respond to prompts, check their writing during independent time and make necessary revisions, write pieces they choose themselves, use freewriting and mapping to generate ideas, and write responses to reading to deepen their understanding. A digital writer’s notebook is offered as well. Students can access student models and instructional videos. Teachers are encouraged to review and give feedback at any time. Examples include, but are not limited to:

In Unit 3, examples include:

Students work with partners or small groups to discuss their written responses. They are given sentence starters to help with the conversation.

In Week 3, Day 5, instruction is provided on writing a strong conclusion. Students reread the ending of a text in their Literature Anthology as an example of a strong conclusion and then discuss with partners.

In Week 4, Day 7, students complete a peer review with a four-step routine, which includes:

Listen carefully as the writer reads his or her work aloud.

Begin by telling what you liked about the reading.

Ask a question.

Give suggestions for a stronger conclusion.

In Week 4, Days 8-10, an editing checklist that students can use to improve their writing is provided in the Reading Writing Companion.

Rubrics are provided in Reading Writing Companion on page 33.

In Unit 6, similar supports are provided; however, the writing prompts and tasks are longer. Examples include:

Students discuss their completed charts and written responses with partners or small groups. Students use sentence starters to aid in the conversation.

In Week 3, Days 5-6, students have an opportunity to revise their drafts, but less instruction is provided.

In Week 4, Day 7, students conduct a peer conference with the same four-step routine.

Listen carefully as the writer reads his or her work aloud

Begin by telling what you liked about the reading

Ask a question

Give suggestions of facts or details that can be added to the research report

In Week 4, Days 8-10, an editing checklist is provided in the Reading Writing Companion.

A rubric is provided in the Reading Writing Companion.

Indicator 2g

Materials include a progression of focused research projects to encourage students to develop knowledge in a given area by confronting and analyzing different aspects of a topic using multiple texts and source materials.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials include a progression of focused research projects to encourage students to develop knowledge in a given area by confronting and analyzing different aspects of a topic using multiple texts and source materials.

Grade 3 materials provide students opportunities to complete research projects over the course of a Genre Study that enrich the knowledge and understanding of the Genre Study topic, the genre structure itself, and the Essential Question. In addition to regular research projects, students can use the interactive online inquiry space during small group time to further support the growth of research skills. Teachers and students follow the research roadmap for guidance on how to apply the five-step research process to each research project. For each project, there is also a research skill that is explicitly taught through modeling and guided practice.

Research projects are sequenced across a school year to include a progression of research skills appropriate for the grade level. Materials support teachers in employing projects that develop students’ knowledge on a topic via provided resources. The Instructional Routines Handbook states that the Research and Inquiry Lessons have a suggested outline to use for projects throughout each Unit/Genre Study. This routine includes:

1. Set Research Goals: Introduce the project and clearly identify the research focus and end product. During this time, students may generate inquiry questions, assign roles to group members, and/or create a research plan.

3. Find and Record Information: Guide students as they search for relevant information from their sources. Ensure they take notes from various sources, find answers to their inquiry questions, and record information so they can cite their sources.

4. Organize: Help students review and analyze the information they have gathered. They should identify the most useful information by annotating or highlighting their notes, using a graphic organizer to sort and clarify categories of related information, and identifying any areas where they need further information.

5. Synthesize and Present: Guide students to synthesize their information and create the research product. Then have them plan how to best present their work and they may include audio and/or visual displays to enhance presentations. Before presenting, students check that key ideas are included in the presentation and they rehearse the presentation.

Specific examples of research projects throughout the year as well as the skills taught include, but are not limited to:

In Unit 1, Genre Study 2, students learn how to generate questions to gather information about a topic. Students use this skill in order to learn how to generate questions about family traditions that could be answered with both formal and informal inquiry methods. Once students gather information using print sources and interviews, students create a quilt square that includes written information about a family tradition on one side and a drawing on the other.

In Unit 2, Genre Study 3, students conduct research about an inventor and then write an interview with the inventor in mind. The five-step research process is provided for the teacher to guide students through the process. Students set their research goals, then identify sources and find and record information. Students then organize their information and synthesize it, before presenting it.

In Unit 4, Genre Study 1, direct instruction is provided for citing sources, researching a topic by finding relevant information, and identifying and using primary sources. Students conduct research about their talents using different types of sources. They then create a blog and present their work.

In Unit 6, Genre Study 1, students write their own research report as part of the writing process. Students conduct research about the important events in the life of a person who has worked hard to reach their goals. They then create a timeline of those events.

Indicator 2h

Materials provide a design, including accountability, for how students will regularly engage in a volume of independent reading either in or outside of class.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials provide a design, including accountability, for how students will regularly engage in a volume of independent reading either in or outside of class.

Grade 3 materials provide opportunities for students to read independently in and out of class. The materials include accountability in the form of independent reading responses and a reading log. In addition, there are also steps for an independent reading routine that provides guidance for teachers. There are many opportunities for independent reading to occur throughout the day. The publisher suggests that students spend 30 - 40 minutes total of independent reading a day, and this includes whole class texts and independent book choices during small group time. There is a bibliography provided in each unit and a genre study for independent reading book choices that align to the topic and/or genre that students are reading about in whole group lessons. In addition, there is a School-To-Home letter each week that provides information for families on children reading at home.

In the Instructional Routine Handbook, an independent reading routine is provided for students to follow while the teacher works with groups or confers with individuals. The steps in the routine include:

"Select a book that interests you.

Read the book each day during independent reading time.

Think about what you are reading.

Record what you have read at the end of each independent reading session.

Share your opinion of the book when you are done.

Complete a reading log by recording the date, title, text type, opinion, number of pages, number of minutes read, whether the text was complex, too easy, or just right, and if the student is still reading, finishing or abandoning the book."

An additional Independent Reading Routine is described that provides additional information for independent reading that can occur during whole group time. The steps in the routine include:

"Select a book that interests you.

Check the book to make sure it is the one you want to read (teachers should teach students the five finger rule to help students determine if the book is just right).

Read the book each day during Independent Reading time. Use the skills and strategies that you have been working on.

Think about what you are reading. Use Thinking Codes to record your thoughts or write about them in your writer’s notebook.

Record what you have read at the end of each independent reading session. There are many suggestions for keeping students accountable for their independent reading in the Additional Strategies section of the Instructional Handbook. Using a Reading Log is just one way suggested by the publisher.

Share your opinion of the book when you are done. Tell a friend, write a review, make a poster, or ask a teacher for ideas.

Begin again! Time to pick a new book!"

Gateway Three

Usability

Meets Expectations

Materials design supports appropriate lesson structure and pacing and can be completed within a school year with a pace that allows for maximum understanding. Units provide adequate review and practice resources, including clearly defined and labeled materials and activities. Visual design enhances learning and does not provide unnecessary distractions. Most lessons, questions, tasks, and assessment items note the standards alignment however some ancillary resources do not indicate a standards alignment.

The Teacher Edition provides support for successful implementation including clear explanations and examples as well as information on literacy concepts included in the materials and defines the instructional approaches of the program and the research-based strategies included. There is not a clear explanation of the role of specific ELA standards within the program. Materials include support for stakeholder communications.

The program systematically and regularly assesses student progress, though materials include limited denotations of the standards being assessed. Routines and guidance for assessment are present, including support for interpreting assessment data and determine next steps for instruction. The materials provide accountability measures to support students as they engage in independent reading self-selected texts.

The program provides strategies and support for all learners, including English language learners, students with disabilities, and students who are performing above grade level. A variety of grouping strategies are provided

Digital materials can be used on multiple platforms and browsers. Technology is used appropriately to support student learning and foregrounds supports that provide a deeper understanding of the texts and text evidence they encounter in lessons. Opportunities for personalization/customization and teacher to student and student to student collaboration are available digitally, including customization for local use.

Criterion 3a - 3e

Materials design supports appropriate lesson structure and pacing. The program can be completed within the confines of a typical school year and the pace allows for maximum student understanding. The units provide adequate review and practice resources, including clearly defined and labeled materials and activities. The visual design of the materials enhances learning and does not provide unnecessary distractions. Most lessons, questions, tasks, and assessment items note the standards alignment however some ancillary resources do not indicate a standards alignment.

Indicator 3a

Materials are well-designed and take into account effective lesson structure and pacing.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials are well-designed and take into account effective lesson structure and pacing.

Materials are designed to immerse students in all areas of the standards and provide explicit lesson structure with embedded teacher direction, as well as recommendations for supporting all learners. Each unit contains three genre studies and a Unit Overview, which supports teachers as they plan for instruction. Each unit instructs the teacher throughout each lesson on its implementation before, during, and after the readings and activities, while providing recommendations for scaffolded support throughout. At the beginning of each unit, there is a Unit Introduction followed by a weekly overview that maps out the daily content being covered. Pacing for each lesson is appropriately allocated. Each individual lesson follows the same structure. For example, for each Genre Study, the lesson cycle begins with key features, a Reading workshop that includes an essential question, academic vocabulary, a comprehension section that states strategies and skills, and a phonics and fluency section. There is also a red check mark notation that lets the teacher know that a particular skill will be tested.

The Instructional Routines Handbook states, “In Wonders, the routines follow the same sequence of steps every time and slowly transfer the responsibility of the task to the students.” Routines effectively organize instruction, help set clear expectations for students, help teachers scaffold instruction, minimize instructional time and teacher talk, and maximize student participation. Many of the instructional routines are included in the online Model Lessons Video Library.

For each new text, students engage with an interactive read-aloud, then a shared read, and then independently with an anchor text. Lessons, questions, and prompts are sequenced so that the students interact with the text in increasingly more sophisticated ways, moving from a more literal first reading to grasp the meaning of the text, followed by a reread with questions about craft and structure, and finally synthesis and evaluation of ideas and information when reading the Anchor Text with a Paired Text. The questions and prompts are tied to the standards. Students write and collaborate using their Reading Writing Companion while reading texts. Discussion routines and writing routines are regularly employed throughout each lesson. For example:

In Unit 3, Genre Study 1, Essential Question: “What do we know about Earth and its neighbors?”

Interactive Read Aloud: Our Home in the Solar System

Observe the teacher Think Aloud how to summarize. (T23)

Shared Read: Earth and Its Neighbors

Students answer questions about key ideas and details about discoveries in the solar system. After rereading, on T45D students summarize the selection in their own words.

Anchor Text: Earth

Students use the information from their Main Idea and Details chart to summarize the text. (T45P) After students summarize the selection, they reread the text and write to the prompt, “How does Jeffrey Zuehlke use text features to help you learn about Earth?” (T46)

Paired Text: Why the Sun is Red

Reading Writing Companion page 24 asks the question, “How is Alexandre Santerne’s purpose for creating the photograph similar to why the author wrote Earth and Why the Sun is Red?”

Units and lessons include structures and resources for both whole group and small group differentiated literacy instruction. The lessons and supports for small groups link to the whole group lessons. Leveled Readers and Differentiated Genre Passages are provided at four levels (Approaching, On Level, Beyond, English Language Learners) and students practice applying the skills they used with the Shared and Anchor Text. For example:

In Unit 3: Approaching Level Text: Seeing Red (Lexile 510), Read: Main Idea and Key Details: "Read the section “Red Rovers.” What is the main idea? (T74) Reread: How do the photograph and caption on page A2 help you understand Seeing Red? Work with a partner to cite text evidence and respond to this question: 'How do the authors use text features to help you understand more about Earth and its neighbors?'" (T75)

Compare Texts: “Draw a Venn diagram. Help students summarize ways that Earth is similar to and different from Mars using text evidence from Seeing Red and other texts they have read.” (T75)

The pacing of individual lessons is appropriate. Examples include, but are not limited to:

In the “Plan” tab under weekly planner, there are time limits suggested that help the teacher plan for that specific section. There are buttons on the right side that give the standards for the day and the objectives, when the teacher clicks on them. There are also time designations next to the headings of the sections of the lesson in the Teacher Edition.

For example, In Unit 1, Week 1, Day 2, the following time guidelines are provided for whole group instruction:

Comprehension Strategy: 10 minutes

Introduction of Concept: 10 minutes

Text Features: 10 minutes

Comprehension Strategy: 10 minutes

Respond to Reading: 10 minutes

Time guidelines are not available for the Spelling and Grammar components.

Indicator 3b

The teacher and student can reasonably complete the content within a regular school year, and the pacing allows for maximum student understanding.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that the teacher and student can reasonably complete the content within a regular school year, and the pacing allows for maximum student understanding.

The materials include six units. Each unit includes three genre studies. Each unit is designed to take six weeks to complete with approximately 180 instructional days. The sixth week of each unit provides time for review, extension, and assessment opportunities. Examples of the pacing for Unit 1, which is indicative of the other units, include:

Genre Study 1: Narrative Nonfiction: Weeks 1 & 2

Genre Study 2: Realistic Fiction: Weeks 3 & 4

Genre Study 3: Argumentative Text: Week 5

Week 6: Opportunities for students to review, to extend the learning, and to assess the skills taught in Unit 1.

In the Teacher Edition, there is a “core” option in the lesson plans that helps teachers and students focus on the standards that have to be covered by the end of the year, and this pathway ensures that the standards will be covered. The “optional” pathway includes other standards that can be covered if time allows. There is a video that teachers can view that explains the Core Pathway option. The teacher types “core pathway” into the search bar and clicks on the “Using the Core Pathway” video.

Student materials include ample review and practice resources. Examples include, but are not limited to:

In Unit 5, Week 5, the skill is the relationship of cause and effect. Students practice and review cause and effect throughout the week while reading the shared read, the anchor text, and the companion text. While reading the shared read, Here Comes Solar Power, on page 58 in the Reading Writing Companion, students complete three tasks and questions practicing cause and effect. Questions include, “What happens when you eat healthy foods? What signal words help you know this?” Additionally students practice cause and effect by completing a graphic organizer of the shared read on page 67 of the Reading Writing Companion. Students practice cause and effect again while reading the anchor text in on pages 414-417 of the Literature Anthology. On Day 3, the Teacher Edition directs the teacher to create a cause and effect chart with students for It’s all in the Wind by Time for Kids. When students read the companion text to It’s All in the Wind in the Literature Anthology, the teacher asks the students the following cause and effect question, “How has the new solar power system changed Tsumkwe?” The Teacher Resource Book provides:

Decodable passages (16-20 titles per unit)

Spelling word cards

Student Reader Responses

Book Talk

Speaking and Listening Checklist

The Practice Book includes materials for students to practice weekly skills (organized by unit) in grammar, phonics, spelling, vocabulary, handwriting.

Student materials include clear directions and explanations, and reference aids are correctly labeled. Examples include, but are not limited to:

In Unit 1, Week 1, Day 1, the spelling pretest directions on the student Practice Book page 6 are clear: “Fold back the paper on the dotted lines. Use the blanks to write each word that is read aloud. When you finish the test, unfold the paper. Use the list at the right to correct any spelling mistakes.”

Essential Question: "How do people from different cultures contribute to the community?" Students are directed to look at a photo and determine/share questions that they may have from that picture.

Shared read: Room to Grow, students are provided sections to take notes, ask questions, note interesting details, find text evidence, and examine maps and headings. Specific questions have students circling key words and evidence from the text.

Vocabulary: Story vocabulary is listed. Students are prompted to use the sentences provided to talk about each word.

Writing: Respond to Text: Room to Grow, students are provided a sequenced graphic organizer to respond to text.

Anchor Text: Analyze Gary the Dreamer, “Ask questions as you read. Look for details. Reread page 7. With a partner, discuss how you know it is an autobiography. How does Gary use the word dream to show he has changed?"

Writing: Research and Inquiry: "Choose a place in your community, like a park or school. Restate these steps aloud for your partner and follow them to make a map.

The materials provide rubrics that link to the skills taught during the Genre Study and encourage students to work with peers throughout the process. Students use these rubrics to self-assess their writing. Suggestions for differentiating the writing instruction are located at the beginning of each instructional sequence. There are a variety of digital tools to support instruction, including graphic organizers, student models including draft, revised, and edited versions, checklists for editing and peer conferencing, and videos for skills such as taking notes and evaluating sources.

Vocabulary: Vocabulary words appear in texts throughout the Genre Study, giving students multiple exposures to the words in context. Each lesson focuses on a key vocabulary strategy that students study throughout the year. These include context clues, prefixes, suffixes, and root words, use of print or digital resources, idioms, synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and homographs.

Indicator 3d

Materials include publisher-produced alignment documentation of the standards addressed by specific questions, tasks, and assessment items.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 partially meet the criteria that materials include publisher-produced alignment documentation of the standards addressed by specific questions, tasks, and assessment items.

Grade 3 materials provides Common Core State Standards alignment documentation in the Teacher Edition under “Plan: Weekly Standard.” Standards are noted for each lesson and are linked to the lesson. The Assessment and Data tab in the online materials lists several printable resources; however, under the Standards tabs, it indicates “no standards associated with this resource.”

Alignment documentation is provided for all questions, tasks, and assessment items. Examples include, but are not limited to:

The Online Teacher Edition Resources include a Plan tab, which links to weekly standards. This resource includes the weekly standards that are being taught, including the lesson in which each standard can be found. Standards include Grade Level 3, Language, Reading Foundational, Reading Informational, Speaking and Listening and Writing. Unit 1, Week 1, lists all related standards with lesson links.

Indicator 3e

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that the visual design (whether in print or digital) is not distracting or chaotic, but supports students in engaging thoughtfully with the subject.

Grade 3 materials contain many visual aids to support student learning, including graphic organizers, response sheets, and real images that accompany the text related to the content in each unit. Illustrations and clip art in the Reading Writing Companion are uncomplicated and appealing to the eye. The design of the materials is simple and visualizing appealing to students. The font, margins, and spacing provided for student work areas are also appropriate.

The materials include, but are not limited to:

Videos that introduce each topic around the essential question for each week, in addition to introducing vocabulary, building background, visuals for introducing the essential question, with graphic organizers so that they can be projected to use with students. Whatever student materials are used are available digitally, as well. Essential questions are also accompanied by a photograph with the purpose of student-generated ideas and thoughts around the weekly topic.

Key routines that are to be used throughout the year are clearly marked and placed within the materials for ease of use. They include:

Criterion 3f - 3j

The Teacher Edition included with the materials provide good annotations and suggestions for successful implementation. The Teacher Edition provides clear explanations and examples to support the teacher, including explanations and additional information to deepen the teacher’s understanding of literacy concepts included in the materials as well as to define the instructional approaches of the program and the research-based strategies included. While pieces of the program provide documentation of their alignment to the standards, there is not a clear explanation of the role of specific ELA standards within the program. Materials include strategies for informing and involving stakeholders, including families, of the student’s progress and ways to support their learning at home.

Indicator 3f

Materials contain a teacher's edition with ample and useful annotations and suggestions on how to present the content in the student edition and in the ancillary materials. Where applicable, materials include teacher guidance for the use of embedded technology to support and enhance student learning.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials contain a Teacher Edition with ample and useful annotations and suggestions on how to present the content in the Student Edition and in the ancillary materials. Where applicable, materials include teacher guidance for the use of embedded technology to support and enhance student learning.

The Teacher Edition is accessible in an interactive format online and in PDF files and provides ample and useful annotations and suggestions on how to present the content in the Student Edition and ancillary materials. The digital Teacher Edition is organized by units, weeks, and days. The Teacher Edition PDF files are grouped by genre studies. Online files needed for presentation, as well as student materials and ancillary materials, are easily accessible in the interactive online Teacher Edition. The Teacher Edition provides direct quotes for the teacher to use in think-alouds and student explanations. Suggestions for implementation and correct answers for student questions and tasks are also found there.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

In Unit 1, Genre Study 1, Teacher Edition, Read-Aloud, there are notations for using digital tools.

Model: Reread the text and model how to apply the skill or strategy to the text.

Guided Practice/Practice: Ask a question and work with students to answer it. Then have them do the Your Turn activity on their own or with a partner."

In Unit 4, Week 3, Day 3, online interactive Teacher Edition, provides a link to project the student text, Amazing WIldlife of the Mojave and a Venn diagram needed for the presentation of the lesson. Four additional items needed for the lesson are labeled as classroom materials and include a Newcomers Teacher Guide and Newcomer Online Visuals for Unit 4. Suggested text to introduce the lesson is provided in the Teacher Edition: “Tell students they will be reading about how animals and plants in the Mojave desert adapt to live in such extreme conditions. Ask students to predict how the selection will help them answer the Essential Question.” A teacher think-aloud is provided as well during the lesson. For example, the teacher might say, “ To learn how desert animals get water, I look at the photos and reread. Some animals travel a long way to get water, while others get water from their food.”

In the Instructional Routines Handbook, Vocabulary Routine, there are annotations and explanations that mirror the guidance provided throughout lessons in the Teacher Edition that offer the following suggestions on how to present the content in the Student Edition:

"Define the word in simple, student-friendly language.

Provide an example of the word in a meaningful sentence, relevant to students’ lives.

Ask a question that requires students to apply the word. They can give an example or explanation, or identify a synonym or antonym."

In the Resource Library under Planner Lessons, there are digital whiteboard presentation lessons that can be used during instruction.

In the Resource Library under Classroom Materials, there are digital leveled readers that the students can access online.

In the Resource Library, there are digital interactive games and activities for students to access for grammar, phonics, fluency, spelling, and vocabulary.

Indicator 3g

Materials contain a teacher's edition that contains full, adult-level explanations and examples of the more advanced literacy concepts so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject, as necessary.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials contain a Teacher Edition that contains full, adult-level explanations and examples of the more advanced literacy concepts so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject, as necessary.

The materials provide clear explanations and examples for the teacher to support his/her content knowledge and pedagogy. Additionally, assessment concepts are defined in adult terms in the Assessment Handbook, and the Smart Start section of the Unit Overviews provide information to deepen the teacher’s understanding of literacy concepts.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

In Unit 1, Week 3, Day 3, the literacy concept that is taught in whole group, according to the Teacher Edition, is Character, Setting, Plot, and Sequence. An explanation of the concept is provided in the Teacher Edition: “Explain that the plot is the events that make up a story, and sequence is the order in which a story’s events happen. The setting is where a story takes place, and characters are the people in a story. Understanding the sequence helps the reader to identify and remember key events. The sequence tells what happens at the beginning, middle, and end of a story. A character’s actions, words, and feelings affect the events that come next in a story."

The Assessment Handbook states “Informal reading inventory (IRI) - A method of assessing students’ independent, instructional, and frustration reading levels in which a student reads graded text and answers comprehension questions. Both oral and silent reading can be assessed.”

The Smart Start Section provided in the Teacher Edition further explains literacy concepts in adult language. For example, page S6 of the Smart Start Section states the following about genre to deepen teacher’s understanding, “Focusing on genre teaches students to use the appropriate strategies to unlock a text. Treat informational text as arguments and analyze the nature of the author’s assertions, logical reasoning, and/or evidence. For narrative text, evaluate the structural elements and analyze the author’s use of words and phrases.”

Teach It Your Way offers an explanation for teachers of how to approach instruction. “Talk About It is the students' first introduction to the concept, the Essential Question, and some of the academic language of the Genre Study. You may choose to play the video first and then show the visuals during your class discussion. You might also consider ‘flipping’ the lesson by having students watch the video at home, giving you more time for classroom discussion about the concept and the Essential Question.”

Under the Professional Development tab in Resources, there is a Basics, Digital Quick Start, and Smart Start online component for teachers that explains the following aspects of the program:

Wonders Basics

Start here for an overview of Wonders.

Curriculum Design­

Structure and Resources­

Classroom Set-Up

Teacher Materials­

Get to Know Your Students

Indicator 3h

Materials contain a teacher's edition that explains the role of the specific ELA/literacy standards in the context of the overall curriculum.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 partially meets the criteria that materials contain a Teacher Edition that explains the role of the specific ELA/literacy standards in the context of the overall program.

Materials provide references to the standards and lists and where to locate the standards within the program; however, the role of the specific standards in ELA are not provided in the context of the overall program. Standards are addressed in the Weekly Standards section with links to corresponding lessons. A Research-Based Alignment is also provided and details a summary of key research and demonstration of program alignment to the standards.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

In Unit 1, Weeks 1-2, student outcomes are stated at the beginning of the lesson plan for the week; however, evidence was not found that explicitly states the role of the standards in the overall program.

In Unit 4, Overview, a listing of the ELA standards in context to the overall program is included. It provides information about where the ELA skill is introduced in the program, where it is reviewed, and where it is assessed. The heading for this information is Key Skills Trace. For example, point of view is introduced in Unit 2, Genre Study 3. It is reviewed in Unit 4: Genre Study 1, Unit 5: Genre Study 2, and Unit 6: Genre Study 3, and it is assessed in Unit 2, Unit 4, Unit 5, and Unit 6 according to the information provided on page T2 of the Unit 4 Teacher Edition. Additionally, page T3 has a Writing Process section that indicates where the unit falls in the instruction of the writing process for the school year. “WRITING PROCESS Unit 1: Personal Narrative, Argumentative Text; Unit 2: Expository Text, Poetry; Unit 3: Expository Text, Procedural Text; Unit 4: Fictional Narrative, Poetry; Unit 5: Expository Text, Argumentative Text; Unit 6: Expository Text, Poetry.”

Indicator 3i

Materials contain explanations of the instructional approaches of the program and identification of the research-based strategies.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials contain an explanation of the instructional approaches of the program and identification of the research based strategies.

A detailed User Guide that discusses the research behind a balanced literacy approach, guided reading instruction, vocabulary and foundational skills, social-emotional learning and writing is included in the materials. The User Guide includes research and descriptions of the instructional/educational approaches implemented in the program. The Instructional Routines Handbook explains more about the research behind the program and models evidence-based routines for collaborative conversations, word work, reading, writing and grammar, and research and inquiry. This handbook also explains the educational approaches and routines for English Language Learners.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

In the Professional Development section of the online materials, Research-Based Alignment resource, there is a chart demonstrating the alignment of the Wonders 2020 program to research-based comprehension practices. This alignment resource provides a thorough explanation and annotation of the research supporting the following literacy components: text comprehension, speaking and listening, phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition, fluency, vocabulary and language, conventions of English, writing, and social-emotional learning.

In the Instructional Routines Handbook, routines and instructional approaches that align with research-based literacy practices are described. For example, an explanation and instructional approach to teaching fluency is provided on pages 129 and 130. “In Wonders, echo reading, choral reading, cloze reading, and structured partner reading are effective practice techniques.” The fluency routine found on page 130 includes the steps, Explain, Model, Guided Practice, and Practice. Each step of the routine is thoroughly explained. For example, the Model step is explained as “Model fluency by reading aloud using appropriate accuracy, rate, and expression. First, select a passage from a text. Then select an aspect of fluency to model, such as intonation. When we read aloud with natural expression, we show which words go together by pausing, raising and lowering our voices, and emphasizing certain words and sounds. Today, I am going to read a passage from your Student Book. Listen to me read. Notice how fast or slow I am speaking, note any time I stop, make facial expressions, or raise or lower my voice. For example, if I read a question, I will raise my voice at the end. Read the passage. Point out the places where you read with expression. Note the phrases or sentences in which you raised or lowered your voice to emphasize or de-emphasize certain words or sounds. Also point out where you paused to show which words go together.”

In the Instructional Routines Handbook, Use of Anchor Charts, the materials state, “Another way you can make learning visible for your students is by creating anchor charts. According to Wonders author Kathy Bumgardner, when anchor charts are created with students, they are a valuable classroom resource to refer to as students encounter other texts and learning scenarios. "Anchor charts are classroom resources created by you and your students. They provide visible cues to scaffold instruction and make instructions clear. The information on anchor charts supports lessons that you teach and then remind students of what they learned." In Wonders, students in Grades K–6 help create and add to anchor charts that focus on the Essential Question, genre features, comprehension skills and strategies, vocabulary strategies, and writing.

Indicator 3j

Materials contain strategies for informing all stakeholders, including students, parents, or caregivers about the ELA/literacy program and suggestions for how they can help support student progress and achievement.

The Grade 3 materials meet the criteria that materials contain strategies for informing all stakeholders, including students, parents or caregivers about the ELA/literacy program and suggestions for how they can help support student progress and achievement.

The materials provide a Take Home Letter each week that reinforces main lesson objectives and demonstrates vocabulary and knowledge content. The letter includes the weekly concept and essential question. A checklist is provided for students and families to put a check next to any learning goals they complete. A word workout that includes word activities for families and students to do at home is provided. A comprehension passage is also included each week and has a specific area of focus. The weekly spelling list is coupled with fun activities for families to help practice spelling words. In the Wonders ConnectEd Student Edition, leveled readers and games are provided to support students at home.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

In Unit 1, Week 1, learning begins with the following introduction:

"Dear Family Member:

For the next two weeks our class will study the genre of narrative nonfiction. We will be focusing on how people from different cultures contribute to a community. We will be discussing how we can learn from people from another culture.

Here are some resources that you can use with your child to help reinforce the skills we’ll be practicing. Have your child put a check next to the learning goals he or she completes. Vocabulary Discuss the meanings of the vocabulary words with your child. Then you and your child will play a sentence activity. High-Frequency Words: Help your child think of an invention that has changed your family’s life. Then work with your child to use the list words to tell about that invention. Week 1: Words with short vowels a, i Read the words to your child. Have your child raise one or two hands to show what sound he or she hears in a word. Week 2: Words with short vowels e, o, u Your child is going to name the letter that stands for the vowel he or she hears when you read a word from the list. Then your child will spell the word. You will read a passage about how to start a small library in the classroom. You and your child will figure out the sequence of the steps given in the passage. Your child will use the chart and write a sentence that describes each step based on their order in the passage. Unit 1 Week 1."

In Unit 4, the Overview states, “Weekly school-to-home family communication letters, ready to send in multiple languages, encourage parents to log on and share resources with their children, including listening to audio summaries of all main selections so they can ask questions. This deepens the connection between community and classroom, supporting social-emotional development. This helps ensure that each and every child comes to school engaged, motivated, and eager to learn!”

Criterion 3k - 3n

Materials offer teachers resources and tools to collect ongoing data about student progress on the Standards.

The program systematically and regularly provides opportunities for teachers to assess student progress, though materials include limited denotations of the standards being assessed both formatively and summatively. These opportunities are provided via routines and guidance that helps teachers assess students when appropriate.

Adequate guidance is provided to support teachers as they interpret assessment data and determine next steps for instruction.

The materials provide accountability measures to support students as they engage in independent reading self-selected texts.

The materials provide ongoing opportunities for assessing student knowledge and skills. The Reading Writing Companion is used for students to record quick-writes, summaries, answers to questions, and opportunities to collaborate about the standards/skills being taught. The teacher can use this to assess student progress. Wonders also offers a formal assessment at the end of the two-week Genre Study to assess student knowledge.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

In Unit 3, Week 1, Reading Writing Companion, students are to “reread One Giant Leap on pages 5-6 and find key details that tell you about the astronauts. List them in the graphic organizer. Use details to figure out the main idea.” The teacher can monitor student progress and provide support for students who need additional guidance.

In Unit 3, Week 6, Unit Assessment Book, after reading the passage, How Soil is Formed, students answer multiple-choice questions, such as: “Part A: Which sentence best states the main idea of the passage? Part B: Which sentence from the passage best supports your answer in part A?” This connects back to the formative assessment.

Quick Checks throughout the materials offer opportunities for the teacher to observe students as they independently practice a strategy or skill taught in whole group instruction. The materials remind the teacher to watch for students who are having difficulty with a skill they have just learned to determine if there is a need for additional small group instruction. For example, Skill: Ask and Answer Questions directs the students to, “Look at page 105. Ask questions about what is happening in the Shared Read, The Impossible Pet Show. Then reread to find the answer.” The teacher can monitor students as they reread to locate information.

In Anchor Text, Weekly Assessments, five multiple-choice comprehension questions that are directly tied to the weekly standards taught and eight questions supporting the grammar skill/standard reviewed for that week are included.

The materials indicate that not all assignments need to be formally graded, but “should be treated as a potential source of information about what students know, what they still need to learn, and what their misconceptions or difficulties are. Review assignments, noting both strengths and weaknesses, and present the student with oral or written feedback. Ask students to go over their own assignments in groups, where peers can point out their strengths and weaknesses to each other. Ask students to go over their own work and reflect upon it. This, too, is a skill that needs to be modeled and taught.”

In Classroom Observations, the materials encourage systematic observations including noting topics of interest for reading, how students work cooperatively, the types of texts that interest them, and other observable reading behaviors. This allows the teacher to help match the students with texts that provide appropriate challenge and engagement.

Students use rubrics to self-assess their writing. Teachers can also find suggestions for differentiating the writing instruction at the beginning of each instructional sequence. Included is a variety of digital tools to support instruction, including graphic organizers, student models, draft, revised, and edited, checklists for editing and peer conferencing, and videos for skills, such as taking notes and evaluating sources.

Indicator 3l

Indicator 3l.i

The Wonders materials reviewed for Grade 3 partially meet the criteria that assessments clearly denote which standards are being emphasized.

The materials provide multiple ways that students are assessed throughout each unit, including formative assessments, comprehension assessments within each unit’s Genre Study, and end-of-unit assessments (summative). The Assessment Handbook provides formative and informative assessments, screenings, diagnostics, and running records that are all aligned to grade-level standards/skills. For example, weekly assessments, writing and research, essential questions and student learning goals are designed around weekly standards and skills embedded in each unit. The User Guide states that Unit Assessments are aligned to standards; however, there is no evidence to support that any standards are specifically listed in the assessments themselves.

Materials include limited denotations of the standards being assessed in both types of assessments. Examples include, but are not limited to:

In the Unit Guide, page 60, the materials explain that the unit assessments are aligned to standards, stating that assessments “ensure valid assessment of student performance and progress, [are] aligned to standards, and [measure] against grade level rigor.”

Each Unit has weekly Common Core standards present; however, standards were not listed in specific assessments or within the Teacher Edition or teacher’s script for administering assessments.

Indicator 3l.ii

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that assessments provide sufficient guidance to teachers for interpreting student performance and suggestions for follow-up.

The materials provide a number of assessments to provide information on student performance. Rubrics and checklists offer teachers insight into further student instruction. The Teacher Edition offers follow-up suggestions on key skills for small group time. The Assessment Handbook offers teachers guidance on drawing conclusions based on what they are seeing in the data to interpret student patterns.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

In Unit 2, Genre Study 3, Week 5, Check for Success, the teacher is asked, “Do students summarize the main idea and details of expository text to clarify what they have read and determine what is important?” Teachers should use the yes/no response to respond accordingly in small group instruction: “If no, Approaching Small Group - Reteach p. T262, ELL Group - Develop p. T292. If yes, On Level - Review p. T272, Beyond Level - Extend p. T278.”

Formative assessments, such as Oral Reading Fluency assessments, provide ongoing information about students’ mastery of skills to help the teacher make instructional and small group placement decisions. A screening test will tell the teacher, for example, that a student has a weakness in comprehension. A diagnostic test shows that the student understands what the words mean but has trouble identifying the sequence of events in a story. From this information, the teacher knows that the student needs additional instruction in the comprehension strategy “identify sequence of events.” Teachers should use the information to help form small, flexible groups and to inform instruction.

Benchmark Assessments assess skills at mid-year and end-of year junctures and provide a snapshot of student progress toward goals and can act as a signal of readiness for the demands of high-stakes testing.

Placement and Diagnostic Assessments serve as the initial screening instrument and contain assessments that can be assigned throughout the year to monitor student progress and pinpoint students’ strengths and weaknesses.

Student Practice with Data Reporting is an on-line student assessment that includes five comprehension questions and five vocabulary questions per unit.

Running Records allow teachers to compile information and analyze the results. It also allows teachers to note the strategies used when students encounter unknown words and make an error. For example, a student who has an error rate of 1:15 reads with a 93% reading accuracy percentage.

The Assessment Handbook (pages 45-50) provides support for instructional decisions based on assessment. For example on page 45, instructions include:

"Interpret: Look at the data you have collected from various types of assignments or over time. Draw conclusions based on what you are seeing in the data to interpret the patterns you may notice.

Decide: What can you do to meet the student’s learning needs?

Check: As you collect ongoing information about student progress, continue to check this information against your interpretation.

Modify: Change your instructional decisions if they are not achieving the intended results."

Quality rubrics and scoring guides are provided throughout the curriculum. Some include:

Reading Portfolio Reflections

Reading Portfolio Rubric

Reading Observations Checklist

Reading Self-Assessment Checklist

At the end of each unit, there is a Track Your Progress rubric. On this page in the Reading Writing Companion, students have the chance to think about what they have learned and score how well they think they have met the learning objectives. Students also have a chance to reflect in writing about something they want to improve and why. For example, on page 202, the directions state, “Use the rubric to evaluate yourself on the skills you learned in this unit. Write your scores in the boxes below. Students will evaluate themselves on the author's point of view, prefixes, theme, similes, point of view and homographs.” Students are to complete the following: “Something that I need to work more on is _____________because _______….”

Indicator 3m

Materials should include routines and guidance that point out opportunities to monitor student progress.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials should include routines and guidance that point out opportunities to monitor student progress.

Throughout the Teacher Edition, the Access Complex Text and Stop and Check sections offer opportunities to monitor student progress. In addition, Screening and Diagnostic assessments, as well as comprehension assessments, offer guidance to inform instructional decisions.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

In Unit 4, Genre Study 1, Weeks 1 and 2, Teacher Edition, Access Complex Text, Connection of Ideas, teachers are to instruct students to make inferences about Margaret’s teacher and how Clementine feels about her. “Clementine says ‘Margaret’s teacher’ instead of using the teacher’s actual name. What impression does that give you of the way Clementine feels about Margaret’s teacher? Why do you think Clementine says ‘Margaret’s teacher yelled’ when she didn’t actually yell?” On page T43R, there is a Stop and Check section offering teachers a way to monitor if students understand. For example, Visualize: “Use descriptions to visualize Clementine’s actions at the end of the story. How does she feel?”

In Unit 4, Week 1, Access Complex Text, Specific Vocabulary, teachers help students understand figurative language. “Point out 'my heart sank' on page 105. Explain that in this phrase, the word heart is used as a metaphor for feelings. Ask: Did Daniel’s heart really sink? (no) What does this phrase mean? (He became sad and upset.) Discuss the expression 'my stomach was doing flip flops' on page 106. Ask: What does this expression mean? (He was nervous.) Build understanding by using similar phrases, such as 'butterflies in my stomach'.” Stop and Check headings are found throughout weekly units. For example, Unit 4 Week 1, Day 3, Stop and Check, Ask and Answer Questions, the page asks, “ Why does Clementine whisper in the teacher’s ear? Reread page 280 to find the answer.”

A screening test will tell the teacher, for example, that a student has a weakness in comprehension. A diagnostic test shows that the student understands what the words mean but has trouble identifying the sequence of events in a story. From this information, the teacher knows that the student needs additional instruction in the comprehension strategy “identify sequence of events.” Teachers should use the information to help form small, flexible groups and to inform instruction.

The Informal Reading Inventory (IRI) is an individually-administered diagnostic tool that assesses a student’s reading comprehension and reading accuracy. The IRI measures three reading levels: independent, instructional and frustrational. The independent reading level is the level at which a student reads without help from the teacher. At each grade level, there are two fiction and two non-fiction reading passages. These passages alternate between oral reading and silent reading as the IRI tests for both oral and silent reading comprehension. To assess the student’s comprehension, there are three literal (L) questions, one vocabulary (V) question, and one interpretive (I) question per passage.

The Comprehension Tests assess overall reading comprehension and grade-level reading proficiency. Students read a series of passages that get progressively harder and answer accompanying comprehension questions. There is one set of passages and questions for each grade level. If students achieve a score of 80%–90%, then they should receive instruction on that grade level. If students receive a score below 80%, then the teacher should administer additional assessments to determine specific skill needs.

Indicator 3n

Materials indicate how students are accountable for independent reading based on student choice and interest to build stamina, confidence, and motivation.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials indicate how students are accountable for independent reading based on student choice and interest to build stamina, confidence, and motivation.

The materials recommend 30-40 minutes of independent reading daily and offer students a variety of texts, including Anchor text, shared text, Time for Kids, suggested classroom library titles and online titles to access. The Instructional Routines Handbook provides an ample amount of opportunities for students to show accountability for their reading, including reading routines, reading logs, response pages, journaling, and conferences.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

Wonders offers a variety of texts and places to find texts. They include:

Independent Reading selections in the Literature Anthology

Differentiated Genre Passages

Classroom Library Trade books with online lessons that include activities for students to complete with a partner or in small groups

Bonus Leveled Readers

Online Leveled Reader Library

Online Unit Bibliography to share with students; they can choose books for daily independent reading and then respond in their writer’s notebook.

Time for Kids online digital articles

The Instructional Routines Handbook provides a number of options for students to show accountability that include, but are not limited to:

Teacher/Student Conference Routine:

"Make a positive observation about the student’s reading or book choice.

Talk about how the reading is going.

Ask the student to read aloud for a minute or two. This will help you assess their accuracy, fluency, and comprehension.

Highlight a student strength.

Suggest a specific goal the student can work on.

Record notes from your conference using provided conference forms."

Reading Logs: A log to record their daily reading, noting the date, title, pages and/ or time read.

Peer Conferences: Opportunities to discuss with another student what they are reading. For example, “Share your Independent Reading with your partners. Decide who will share first. When it is your turn to be the speaker, tell your partner the following: Your book title/genre.” Sentence stems, such as “the book I am reading today is…” and “It is …..(genre/text type), are provided .”

Journal About Books: Students can take notes in their Writer’s Notebooks as they read. They can write summaries and personal responses, reflect on their strategy use, and make connections to other texts.

Thinking Codes: Students can mark their own sticky notes to create a trail of their thinking. Students can then use this record of their thinking as they write journal entries.

Perfect Pitch Challenge: Students present a 1–2 minute “pitch” about their book. The goal of this information presentation is to hook the class and entice other students to want to read the book.

Criterion 3o - 3r

Materials provide teachers with strategies for meeting the needs of a range of learners so that they demonstrate independent ability with grade-level standards.

The program provides strategies and support to assure all learners in the classroom are able to access grade-level content. This includes targeted support for English language learners, students with disabilities, and students who are performing above grade level. There are also a variety of grouping strategies provided as well as support for the teacher to select and deploy the most effective groupings for various learning scenarios.

Indicator 3o

Materials provide teachers with strategies for meeting the needs of a range of learners so the content is accessible to all learners and supports them in meeting or exceeding the grade-level standards.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials provide teachers with strategies for meeting the needs of a range of learners so the content is accessible to all learners and supports them in meeting or exceeding the grade-level standards.

The materials include many strategies for teachers to use. Examples of strategies include Teacher think-alouds, modeling, questioning techniques, sentence stems, differentiated leveled passages, and readers organized under the small group instructional routines in the Teacher Edition, including Approaching, On-level, Beyond, and ELL. A shared read and anchor text provide access to the grade-level text through additional supports including read-alouds, graphic organizers, student collaboration, Access Complex Text strategies, and “spot-light” on language for ELL supports.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

In the Teacher Edition, the Data Dashboard is used to filter class, group, and/or individual student data to guide group placement decisions. It provides recommendations to enhance learning for gifted and talented students and provides extra support for students needing remediation.

In Unit 1, Weeks 1 and 2, Small Group, ELL Scaffolded Shared Read, Room to Grow, Ask and Answer Questions include, "Why do Mama and Papa grow an indoor garden?" The teacher models the Think-Aloud, "I ask questions to help me focus my reading. As I read, I look for the answer to my question. The second paragraph tells me that their new home does not have a yard or even a tiny piece of land. It would be hard to have an outdoor garden if you have no yard and no land. This text evidence answers my question." Have students ask another question about the indoor garden. Skill: Sequence, Paragraph 3: "What happens after Kiku meets Jill?" The teacher models the Think- Aloud, "I’ll look for signal words to help me answer this question. I know the answer is after they meet. I see the phrase ‘the next day.’ The text after this phrase helps me know that the girls became best friends the day after they met." Have students reread the page and use sequence words to summarize what has happened so far in the text.

In Unit 4, Week 1, Day 3, students receive the following support while reading The Talented Clementine by Sara Pennypacker. The teacher tells students they will be reading about how Clementine found her special talent while helping with a school talent show. The teacher asks students to predict how the selection will help them answer the Essential Question. For example:

The Access Complex Text section directs the teacher to “Point out that this story is an excerpt, or part, of a larger book of realistic fiction. Explain that page 278 is an introduction to the excerpt, which means that it explains events and ideas discussed before the excerpt begins. The introduction is provided to give readers enough background to understand the excerpt. Remind students that characters in realistic fiction often have a problem to overcome. According to the introduction on page 278, what is Clementine’s problem?”

The Spotlight on Language, page 280, Paragraph 1, includes the following language support: “Explain that an auditorium is a very large room with many seats. An auditorium usually has a stage, or a raised area. This is where people perform or speak to an audience. Ask students to discuss if they have ever sung, danced, or acted on a stage. What are the students doing in the auditorium? Remind students to ask questions about details they are unsure of and then reread the text to find the answers. For example, how does Mrs. Rice convince Clementine to be her assistant during the talent show?”

During the Student Think-Aloud, Mrs. Rice tells Clementine that she may not always pay attention in class, but she notices “more about what’s going on than anyone” Mrs. Rice knows. She then asks Clementine questions about Caleb’s act to show how she knows every detail about each act. Principal Rice says, “I rest my case” and points a “no buts” finger at the empty director’s chair for Clementine.

The Teacher Edition provides differentiated instruction small group lessons on vocabulary and comprehension at four different levels: Approaching, On Level, Beyond Level, and English Language Learners. Phonics/Decoding and fluency lessons are also provided for the Approaching Level. Each Genre Study is also accompanied by topic-related Leveled Readers and Genre Passages for small group instruction at the four levels, as well as instructional support for each in the Teacher Edition. For example:

Beyond Level Reader, Stepping Forward by Katherine Philipson,

Model: The teacher reminds students that fiction is often told from the point of view of the narrator, which is the narrator‘s thoughts and feelings about the story‘s events and other characters. Students can look for details that show what the narrator feels or thinks to identify the narrator‘s point of view. They can also decide if they share this point of view. Students read the first paragraph of the Beyond Level, Painting from Memory, in the online Differentiated Genre Passages B1. The teacher asks open-ended questions to facilitate discussion, such as, "What is the narrator‘s point of view in this paragraph? Which story details show this point of view?" Students provide text evidence to support their answers.

Apply: "Have students identify other details that show the narrator‘s point of view as they read the rest of the story. Then have them identify the narrator‘s point of view for the entire story. Have students independently fill in a copy of online Point of View Graphic Organizer 146. Have them tell whether or not they agree with the narrator‘s point of view and explain."

Indicator 3p

Materials regularly provide all students, including those who read, write, speak, or listen below grade level, or in a language other than English, with extensive opportunities to work with grade level text and meet or exceed grade-level standards.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials regularly provide all students, including those who read, write, speak, or listen below grade level, or in a language other than English, with extensive opportunities to work with grade level text and meet or exceed grade-level standards.

Grade 3 materials provide opportunities for students to access grade-level texts with support in activating prior knowledge through photographs and videos that help supply or initiate recall of background knowledge and collaborative graphic organizers for recording ideas. Organizers allow teachers and students to highlight patterns, critical features, big ideas, and relationships (e.g., use outlines to emphasize important ideas or draw students’ attention to critical features). Materials also guide information processing, visualization, and manipulation (e.g., provide explicit prompts for each step in a sequential process). Instruction is provided for cross-curricular connections students make as they answer the Essential Question through the Connect to Content features.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

In the Newcomers Guide, there are leveled reader resources that the teacher can use as a resource for ELL students.

In Unit 1, Weeks 1 and 2, Genre Study 1, Teacher Edition,ELL Scaffolded Shared Read, Room to Grow, in the small group section of the lesson plan, there are lessons for students at the Tier 2 level, and this is noted in the plan. For example:

"Beginning: Point to the boys at the dance festival. Some cultures have special songs and dances. The community is learning about Native Americans. The boys are dancing. This is a way to share culture. Help students ask and answer questions about the photo and then add words and phrases about culture to the concept web.

Intermediate: Check understanding of culture and community. Ask: 'What are the boys doing to share culture? (dancing) What else do the boys share about Native American culture? The boys wear special clothes for dancing.' Have students point out the other people in the picture. People in the community can learn about other cultures.

Advanced/Advanced High: Have partners discuss how cultures contribute to a community. Have them add their ideas to the concept web. Then ask students to discuss other ways people can share their culture (parades, foods, holidays)."

In Unit 2, Week 2, Day 3, Spiders by Nic Bishop, the Teacher Edition provides scaffold and support materials including think- alouds, Access to Complex Test strategies, and “spot-light” on Language for ELL. For example, the teacher is asked to “point out how the author organized the introductory paragraph by comparing and contrasting general information about spiders. How does the author’s use of comparisons help you visualize different kinds of spiders?" Teacher Think Aloud: "I know that one way to make sure I understand what I am reading is to periodically go back and summarize what I’ve just read. I can look back to pages 91 and 92 and summarize that all spiders have two main parts that contain the structures a spider needs to live. Also, the green lynx spider is a stealth hunter of insects. As I continue to read, I will occasionally stop and summarize to make sure I understand what I read." Spotlight on Language Page 92, Paragraph 1, the teacher points out the anatomy terms, such as abdomen. The teacher reads the paragraph with students and students look for basic words such as heart, head, and legs, and location words, such as back and front to find the parts on the photograph. The teacher says, "The back part is called the abdomen. What makes up the abdomen?" Students point to and respond using the terms.

In Unit 2, Week 2, Day 3, Spiders by Nic Bishop, Vocabulary, teachers use the routine on the Visual Vocabulary Cards to pre-teach ELL Vocabulary: habitat, pressure, and survive. Explicit vocabulary routines are provided within the Teacher Edition that support students so that they see the word, hear the word, say the word, spell it, and use it in a sentence stem. The I Do, We Do, and You Do scaffolds provide the extra support needed. For example:

We Do: "Ask students to say the word and spell it with you. Model using the word in a sentence, and have students repeat after you."

You Do: "Display the word. Ask students to say the word and then spell it. When completed, quickly flip through the word card set as students read aloud the words. Provide opportunities for students to use the words in speaking and writing. For example, provide sentence starters, such as Dad told us a funny ____. Ask students to write each word in their writer’s notebook."

Indicator 3q

Materials regularly include extensions and/or more advanced opportunities for students who read, write, speak, or listen above grade level.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials regularly include extensions and/or more advanced opportunities for students who read, write, speak, or listen above grade level.

Grade 3 materials provide opportunities for students to interact with text in extension activities including leveled small groups (advanced), Talented and Gifted recommended lessons, author studies, book talks/chats, research/writing, and independent book titles for student choice reads.

In the Instructional Routines Handbook, Author Study, teachers have students form an independent study group and choose an author to study. “Have students choose two pieces of work by the author and read the selections independently. Students should have collaborative conversations about their reading each week in which they can choose a character and compare their traits; compare and contrast themes; compare the author’s purpose; compare text structures; compare poetic devices or the use of figurative language and the effect it has on the mood of a text. Remind students to use text evidence to support their ideas.”

In the Instructional Routines Handbook, Support for Advanced Learners, students engage in a variety of independent reading study pages/routines. “Ask students to create a two-three minute movie trailer for their books that provides enough plot details to captivate the viewer without spoiling the end. Students can use video editing software applications to create their trailers." In Book Club Chat, the students choose an exciting, interesting, or descriptive passage to read aloud to the group. The passage should reveal something interesting about a situation in the text and/or provide some insight into a main character. In Concept Study: Students do a research report on a topic related to their independent reading. Students may choose to study one of the following topics: a specific time-period from a text, a specific concept or idea from a text, a specific person in history, and the pros and cons of a controversial subject.

Indicator 3r

Materials provide opportunities for teachers to use a variety of grouping strategies.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials provide opportunities for teachers to use a variety of grouping strategies.

Throughout the materials, there is evidence of support and notations of which grouping strategies should be used and when to implement them in the lesson planning. Lessons indicate where pairs, collaborative conferences, small group, or individual groupings are utilized for instruction. Teachers are also provided suggestions for how to group students using the Instructional Routines Handbook, Data Dashboard, Assessment Handbook, student interest, and teacher observation.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

In the Teacher Edition, Differentiated Instruction, small group lessons on vocabulary and comprehension are available at four different levels: Approaching, On Level, Beyond Level, and English Language Learners. Phonics/Decoding and fluency lessons are also provided for the Approaching Level. Each Genre Study is also accompanied by topic-related Leveled Readers and Genre Passages for small group instruction at the four levels, as well as instructional support for each in the Teacher Edition. Teachers can search the Leveled Reader Database at my.mheducation.com for more leveled titles to use as they teach small groups. The database is searchable by Theme, Keyword, Genre, Skill, Text Feature, Grade Range, Lexile, and Guided Reading Level.

The Assessment Handbook and the Data Dashboard at my.mheducation.com provide more information on assessments that teachers can use to form small groups. The Running Records/Benchmark Books resource provides leveled passages and recording forms for determining students’ guided reading levels.

Teachers can use the Data Dashboard to filter class, group, and/or individual student data to guide group placement decisions. It provides recommendations to enhance learning for gifted and talented students and provides extra support for students needing remediation.

Peer Conferences: The materials state, “Provide your students with consistent opportunities to discuss with another student what they are reading. This allows them to exchange ideas about what they are learning and how they are growing as readers. In addition, it offers a valuable chance for you to listen in to students sharing their thinking about their reading with others. Pair two (or three) students. You might want to group students who are reading the same text or texts on the same topic or theme. Rehearse with students what these collaborative conversations should look like and sound like. By using a gradual release of responsibility, you can ensure that students will be focused when they are meeting with a peer to discuss their reading.”

In Unit 2, Week 1, Day 2, teacher guidance states, “If students read the Approaching Level fluently and answered the questions, then pair them with students who have proficiently read On Level and have students echo-read the On Level main selection with their partner using self-stick notes to mark a new detail to discuss in each section. The On Level challenges students by including more domain-specific words and complex sentence structures. If students read the On Level fluently and answered the questions, then pair them with students who have proficiently read the Beyond Level and have students partner-read the Beyond Level main selection and name two details in the text that they want to learn more about. The Beyond Level challenges students by including more domain-specific words and complex sentence structures. Synthesize: Challenge students to learn more about a local election. Have them research the candidates in a local campaign and then create a chart listing three positions that each candidate stands for. Then have them share their results with the class. Host a quick class election based on each chart.”

In Unit 2, Week 1, Day 1, ELL Whole Group, teachers help students talk about the picture about voting for class president, making a decision, putting their ballots into the box, and filling out their ballots. “Then have partners point, ask, and answer: What is she/he doing? She/He is ____. Have them discuss why it’s important to vote.”

Criterion 3s - 3v

Materials support effective use of technology to enhance student learning. Digital materials are accessible and available in multiple platforms.

Digital materials are available for the program and can be used on multiple platforms and browsers. Technology is used appropriately to support student learning and foregrounds supports that provide a deeper understanding of the texts and text evidence they encounter in lessons. Opportunities for personalization/customization and teacher to student and student to student collaboration are available digitally, including customization for local use.

Indicator 3s

Digital materials (either included as supplementary to a textbook or as part of a digital curriculum) are web-based, compatible with multiple Internet browsers (e.g., Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome, etc.), "platform neutral" (i.e., are compatible with multiple operating systems such as Windows and Apple and are not proprietary to any single platform), follow universal programming style, and allow the use of tablets and mobile devices.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that digital materials (either included as supplementary to a textbook or as part of a digital curriculum) are web-based, compatible with multiple internet browsers (eg. Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome, etc.), “platform-neutral” (ie., Windows and Apple and are not proprietary to any single platform), follow universal programming style, and allow the use of tablets and mobile devices.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

The Wonders materials are accessible online and can be printed for student use. The digital teaching resources are available wherever there is an Internet connection. There is 24/7 access to instructional modules, model classroom videos, author videos, and Digital Help tutorials in the Professional Development section. The program is compatible with multiple Internet browsers, such as Internet Explorer, Safari, and Google Chrome, and is accessible on tablets and mobile devices.

Indicator 3t

Materials support effective use of technology to enhance student learning, drawing attention to evidence and texts as appropriate.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials support effective use of technology to enhance student learning, drawing attention to evidence and texts as appropriate. Grade 3 materials provide interactive games, digital presentations with video and audio, online collaboration tools, and writing tools to enhance student learning. Each unit’s text selections are available to students in their online dashboard. The daily teacher presentation that is customizable and projectable asks students to interact with text and find evidence when appropriate.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

Students can digitally access all resources and activities assigned to them by the teacher. For example, when a student selects “Vocabulary,” they will see a photo or video example of the word along with an example sentence. Students can hear the sentence read aloud to them. Teachers can also upload and add their own digital resources to the lessons.

Inquiry Space provides students an opportunity to navigate through the process of completing an informative performance task that results in a research paper and offline presentation. Digital Toolkits in the form of animations, videos, and slide presentations are provided for each phase of the research project.

StudySync Blast allows students to respond to text-dependent questions and each other’s posts in 140 characters or less.

Indicator 3u

Materials can be easily customized for individual learners.

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Indicator 3u.i

Digital materials include opportunities for teachers to personalize learning for all students, using adaptive or other technological innovations.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that digital materials include opportunities for teachers to personalize learning for all students, using adaptive or other technological innovations.

Grade 3 materials include technological innovations that allow for teachers to customize weekly lessons for whole group instruction and for individual students. Teachers set the school calendar in the online platform which determines what students access in their online dashboards each day. Teachers can customize beyond that for individual students by assigning specific practice pages and texts at specific reading levels to individual students to access online.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

To personalize learning for whole class instruction, teachers can edit the provided Today’s Presentation of the lesson content in numerous ways online. One way is to open the Today's Presentation file from the teacher’s homepage and remove or add resources into the presentation as desired. Another way to personalize the whole group instruction is to set the online calendar as part of the digital materials to the school district’s exact calendar including any non-teaching days. This automatically adjusts the placement of the unit’s daily lessons accordingly and provides the correct Today’s Presentation for whole group as well as provide the correct materials to the students online dashboard. Furthermore, teachers can personalize the daily lessons to their classroom by rearranging the order of the lesson components such as grammar before vocabulary rather than vice versa. When teachers are in the online Weekly Planner, they are able to personalize the contents of daily lessons by dragging and dropping the components throughout the week or removing part of the components. The Today’s Presentation automatically updates to be in the order necessary to present the customized lesson to students. Teachers can also interchange small group lessons and whole group lessons, so that some skills are taught in small groups and some are taught in whole group. Teachers can further personalize the student learning experience by assigning specific practice pages and small group and independent reading text at the desired reading level. These pages are then presented to the students on their own digital dashboard under their individualized login.

The Wonders system is set up to automatically load the correct resources for the week into each student’s account. When students select the green TO DO button, they can see and access resources and practice activities the teacher has assigned to them. For example, when students select the blue READ button, they see their reading selections for the week of instruction. In addition to the Shared Read and Anchor texts, each student will see the correct Leveled Reader texts for their tested reading level. Students can login from school or home to access their learning resources. Parents have access to the Student Workspace, including the School-to-Home letters, when the student logs in from home.

Indicator 3u.ii

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials can be easily customized for local use.

Grade 3 materials provide “Teach it Your Way” to customize the resource. The resources can be used if the focus of the district’s instructional plan is to include other research-based practices not explicitly presented in the Wonders materials. Teachers and/or the school district can also determine that lessons will follow a Core Pathway option due to time constraints or other needs. Teachers and/or school districts can determine the order of lessons, the number of days used to teach each Genre Study, and what practice materials are available to students online.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

The Wonders “Teach it Your Way” format is referenced in the digital support videos and in the teacher resources entitled Teach It Your Way Daily 5, Teach It Your Way Blending Learning Station Routine, and Teach It Your Way Workshop Reading/Workshop Writing. These resources provide tips and templates to customize the Wonders program to fit these instructional frameworks.

Teachers have the ability to customize their lesson plans by moving and removing lessons or adding their own resources. This is done from the Weekly Planner view of the Resource Library.

Teachers can also adjust their plans with the Core Pathway feature. The Core Pathway is an abbreviated version of the curriculum that covers all tested skills but omits some optional lessons. These assist teachers who are having trouble completing the full curriculum within their literacy block. Teachers can automatically activate the Core Pathway by going to the Planner Options button in the middle of the screen. A gear icon in the lesson title can restore individual lessons after activating the Core Pathway. The printed Teacher Edition shows which parts of the lesson plan are “core” and which are “optional". For example,

The digital lesson planner allows for teachers to customize lesson plans. For example, teachers can drag and drop lessons on the planner to move them forward to another day or use the gear icon to move lessons to the Holding Bin and decide later when to use them. Teachers can also add their own digital resources as well as add their own notes to lessons. In the center of the Weekly Planner, teachers can select the “customize drop-down menu” and then select “Add Note” to insert notes.

Indicator 3v

Materials include or reference technology that provides opportunities for teachers and/or students to collaborate with each other (e.g. websites, discussion groups, webinars, etc.).

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials include or reference technology that provides opportunities for teachers and/or students to collaborate with each other (e.g., websites, discussion groups, webinars, etc.)

Teachers can create Talk About It discussions for student collaboration in the student digital materials. The discussions are found under the Writing and Research tab of the student digital materials.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

In the teacher online materials under the Writing and Research heading, teachers can create Talk About It discussions for students to collaborate online. The directions provided to the teacher online are: “Inspire your students to discuss what they are learning. Post questions or prompts related to weekly lessons for student response. Students can also reply to each other's posts. Create a new topic to begin.”

The Online Writer’s Notebook provides opportunities for students to access student models, instructional videos, and more to support their writing from planning to drafting. Teachers can access anchor papers and can review and give feedback to students at any time.

About Publishers Responses

All publishers are invited to provide an orientation to the educator-led team that will be reviewing their materials. The review teams also can ask publishers clarifying questions about their programs throughout the review process.

Once a review is complete, publishers have the opportunity to post a 1,500-word response to the educator report and a 1,500-word document that includes any background information or research on the instructional materials.

Educator-Led Review Teams

Each report found on EdReports.org represents hundreds of hours of work by educator reviewers. Working in teams of 4-5, reviewers use educator-developed review tools, evidence guides, and key documents to thoroughly examine their sets of materials.

After receiving over 25 hours of training on the EdReports.org review tool and process, teams meet weekly over the course of several months to share evidence, come to consensus on scoring, and write the evidence that ultimately is shared on the website.

All team members look at every grade and indicator, ensuring that the entire team considers the program in full. The team lead and calibrator also meet in cross-team PLCs to ensure that the tool is being applied consistently among review teams. Final reports are the result of multiple educators analyzing every page, calibrating all findings, and reaching a unified conclusion.

Rubric Design

The EdReports.org’s rubric supports a sequential review process through three gateways. These gateways reflect the importance of standards alignment to the fundamental design elements of the materials and considers other attributes of high-quality curriculum as recommended by educators.

Advancing Through Gateways

Materials must meet or partially meet expectations for the first set of indicators to move along the process. Gateways 1 and 2 focus on questions of alignment. Are the instructional materials aligned to the standards? Are all standards present and treated with appropriate depth and quality required to support student learning?

Gateway 3 focuses on the question of usability. Are the instructional materials user-friendly for students and educators? Materials must be well designed to facilitate student learning and enhance a teacher’s ability to differentiate and build knowledge within the classroom. In order to be reviewed and attain a rating for usability (Gateway 3), the instructional materials must first meet expectations for alignment (Gateways 1 and 2).

Key Terms Used throughout Review Rubric and Reports

Indicator Specific item that reviewers look for in materials.

Criterion Combination of all of the individual indicators for a single focus area.

Gateway Organizing feature of the evaluation rubric that combines criteria and prioritizes order for sequential review.

Alignment Rating Degree to which materials meet expectations for alignment, including that all standards are present and treated with the appropriate depth to support students in learning the skills and knowledge that they need to be ready for college and career.

Usability Degree to which materials are consistent with effective practices for use and design, teacher planning and learning, assessment, and differentiated instruction.

ELA 3-8 Rubric and Evidence Guides

The ELA review rubrics identify the criteria and indicators for high quality instructional materials. The rubrics support a sequential review process that reflect the importance of alignment to the standards then consider other high-quality attributes of curriculum as recommended by educators.

For ELA, our rubrics evaluate materials based on:

Text Quality and Complexity, and Alignment to Standards with Tasks Grounded in Evidence

Building Knowledge with Texts, Vocabulary, and Tasks

Instructional Supports and Usability

The ELA Evidence Guides complement the rubrics by elaborating details for each indicator including the purpose of the indicator, information on how to collect evidence, guiding questions and discussion prompts, and scoring criteria.

3-8 ELA

The EdReports rubric supports a sequential review process through three gateways. These gateways reflect the importance of alignment to college and career ready standards and considers other attributes of high-quality curriculum, such as usability and design, as recommended by educators.

Materials must meet or partially meet expectations for the first set of indicators (gateway 1) to move to the other gateways.

Gateways 1 and 2 focus on questions of alignment to the standards. Are the instructional materials aligned to the standards? Are all standards present and treated with appropriate depth and quality required to support student learning?

Gateway 3 focuses on the question of usability. Are the instructional materials user-friendly for students and educators? Materials must be well designed to facilitate student learning and enhance a teacher’s ability to differentiate and build knowledge within the classroom.

In order to be reviewed and attain a rating for usability (Gateway 3), the instructional materials must first meet expectations for alignment (Gateways 1 and 2).

Alignment and usability ratings are assigned based on how materials score on a series of criteria and indicators with reviewers providing supporting evidence to determine and substantiate each point awarded.

For ELA and math, alignment ratings represent the degree to which materials meet expectations, partially meet expectations, or do not meet expectations for alignment to college- and career-ready standards, including that all standards are present and treated with the appropriate depth to support students in learning the skills and knowledge that they need to be ready for college and career.

For science, alignment ratings represent the degree to which materials meet expectations, partially meet expectations, or do not meet expectations for alignment to the Next Generation Science Standards, including that all standards are present and treated with the appropriate depth to support students in learning the skills and knowledge that they need to be ready for college and career.

For all content areas, usability ratings represent the degree to which materials meet expectations, partially meet expectations, or do not meet expectations for effective practices (as outlined in the evaluation tool) for use and design, teacher planning and learning, assessment, differentiated instruction, and effective technology use.